Listening
by financebabe
Summary: From a MM's point of view, the guys must work together to save RangeMan from a threat after Stephanie is hurt in a distraction. As he learns to really listen to her his job gets easier, but learning what to do with his feelings becomes a new challenge.
1. Intuition

_The characters below do not belong to me. They are all part of the genius of JE._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan), I'm so glad you agreed to stick with me and continue your invaluable work as my Beta. _

**Chapter 1 - Intuition**

The sound of hard shoes on the tile floor was the first clue someone was coming that would need to be kept out. The staff in the hospital tended to wear more practical shoes designed to be comfortable for the hours they spent on their feet. These shoes were dress shoes and from the sound of the footsteps it seemed like they belonged to a man.

I looked to my left and noticed Tank move slightly to his right effectively blocking anyone's entrance to the room we were guarding.

I was accustomed to hiding my thoughts and emotions so the man dressed in white scrubs carrying a folded bath towel in men's dress shoes never knew we saw through his pitiful excuse for a disguise.

Seeing the large black man towering over him at the door the idiot tried to talk his way in. "Excuse me, sir, but I was told to bring this towel to Ms. Plum's room so she would have everything she needs for her evening bath." He held the towel up as evidence of the truth of his words.

I had to assume Tank was in the mood to have a little fun when he asked, "You were told to bring a towel to a woman who is unconscious so she will have what she needs for her evening bath?"

The man had a typical reaction to the second in command at RangeMan when he took a step backward and his eyes began shifting around looking for the closest means of escape.

Seeing the man's hesitation Tank stepped forward to end the one sided conversation. "Why don't you give that towel to me? I'll be sure she receives it when it's needed and you can tell you boss that you can't get a picture of her in the hospital."

The man had the good sense to drop the towel and back away quickly. Tank picked it up and threw it in a cart nearby full of dirty linens. "Damned reporters," He said barely loud enough for me to overhear. Tank may have felt he failed to keep her safe at the distraction this evening, but he was not planning on repeating that mistake now.

I can't honestly say what happened tonight, except that Stephanie warned us that something was off. Standing guard outside her room now I tried to think of an occasion when Steph was wrong when she said something felt off. Coming up empty, I realized if I had been in charge of the distraction, I would have called it off when she spoke up. I wasn't the boss however, and Ranger made the call to move forward.

Tonight should have been a simple in and out for her. We had great Intel that the skip, Edward Thomas, was going to be at Promises at 7:00, where he would be drinking away his sorrows. Despite the fact that the bar was a dive, Thomas was reported to like the naughty secretary type and so Steph was told to wear a classy outfit that at second glance was revealing and sexy. No easy task, but she arrived in a black skirt that cupped her ass and ended a couple of inches above her knee with a split on each side that allowed her to move.

The skirt was paired with a tight white blouse that only had three buttons buttoned and it seemed damn near see through. I was sure if she bent over the buttons would pop and we would all get a free show. It was that promise that made me unable to take my eyes off of her, despite her typical poise in these situations.

Her gravity defying bright red heels made her legs look a mile long. I never understood how she walked in those things, but I could confess to appreciating it anyway. Her hair was pulled up and twisted behind her. I usually preferred it when she wore it down, but with the look she was going for tonight it was perfect. There were two little curls escaping down the back of her neck that made any red blooded male want to wrap them around their finger.

I could tell from the sounds in my earpiece I wasn't the only guy appreciating her outfit because when she stood up out of Ranger's Turbo there were sharp intakes of breath, a few exclamations, and Lester's, "Shit, Beautiful is making me hot for teacher all over again." A piece of me wanted to smack him for talking about Stephanie that way, but I figured the growing bulge I was trying to get rid of meant that down deep I agreed with him.

She walked ten paces from the car before turning back to Ranger and saying, "Are you sure about this? I don't have a good feeling about tonight."

Ranger let out a small breath which would be the equivalent of a normal man sighing, throwing up his arms and saying, 'Of course I'm sure, we've been through this already.' But in typical Ranger shorthand he only said, "Babe."

I assume Steph is good at reading the boss, because she seems to understand that that single word can mean more than just an endearment. She jumped in when he offered nothing more.

"It just seems strange that our detailed Intel is about a guy who isn't from around here. Don't you think it's odd that someone knows him well enough to give us his exact arrival time and his preference in women? It sounds like he wanted to know who would be coming after him so he planted the info to have me show up dressed in a way that will make me stick out from every other person in the bar. If this is a trap he'll know who I am and why I'm there the second I walk in." She explained her hesitation, and I had to agree with her completely.

"The Intel is from a very reliable source who spoke to Thomas when he'd had a few too many to drink. You will be the woman of his dreams when you walk in there. By now he should be three sheets to the wind and you'll have no trouble getting him to follow you. Now go in there and bring out the bad guy." Ranger said with his hands on Stephanie's shoulders.

Both were quiet for a moment as if there was a battle of the wills going on. A piece of me wanted her to say no. Her concerns were valid and there had to be a better way to get him out other than risking her life to do it.

"Alright," She relented. "You know I can never say no to you."

And with that she turned around, straightened up, and squared her shoulders as if she were a soldier walking into battle knowing that they were going on a suicide mission. I'd seen this look on many faces and realized she wasn't just a little scared about the skip, she had a gut instinct telling her this was going to blow up and no one was listening to her.

Lester spoke up, "Ranger, man are you sure about this? She made a good point."

"Santos!" Ranger barked in return. "Just stay sharp in there and she'll have nothing to worry about."

I was at the door and stepped aside when she walked past me to let her in. The focus on her face hardly allowed her to acknowledge me, but she did manage to nod her head as she passed. Stephanie was never rude no matter how distracted. She said it was because of her Burg upbringing, which I knew was a crock of shit. It was because she was too tender hearted to ever dream of offending one of us. We never understood why she chose to make us her friends, but she went out of her way to get to know us and break down the walls we built to keep people out of our lives.

I pushed on my ear to be sure I could hear everything that was happened inside. Knowing that Steph was nervous had me on edge too and I hated being stuck at the door and not able to watch over her. Of course when she walked out with the skip, Tank and I were in position to grab him so in the end I got the most important job of keeping her safe. The take down is where things could turn ugly in a hurry.

I heard Junior, who was behind the bar tonight, ask what he could get her to drink.

She made a sound like she was irritated and said a gin and tonic with a lime. I smiled, knowing she would be getting a tonic over ice with a lime. She had to pretend that the drink affected her; no one from RangeMan would ever serve her alcohol because she had no tolerance for the stuff. She was tough in so many ways which made the fact that she was such a cheap drunk a bit of a joke around the office.

It's not that we were laughing at her. We wouldn't do that, and we'd seriously hurt the person that tried. But, she seemed to be full of contradictions and we found them humorous. She was from a proper Burg family, yet she hung out with a bunch of mercenaries. She talked to her fuzzy hamster as though he were her best friend, and yet she befriended a group of quiet emotionally closed-off ex-military guys. She believed chocolate was its own food group and regularly ate lunch with us as we munched on salads and grilled meats. People who judged her based on their assumptions about who she should be missed out on meeting an amazing woman.

"Here you go little lady, and let me know if I can get you anything else." Junior said bringing me back to reality.

I heard what I assumed was the skip speak loudly enough in my earpiece that I knew his face was too close to her chest. Apparently I wasn't the only person to jump to that conclusion as there were multiple growls that meant I didn't need to concern myself with being gentle in the takedown.

"I don't remember seeing you in here before," Thomas began with an unoriginal line.

"I've never been here before," Steph came back like a pro. "I was driving home from work and saw this place and knew that I needed a few drinks to get over my day so I took a chance and came in."

"I'm glad you did," He replied. "What happened that made you want to drown your troubles?"

"Let's just say the attorney I worked for and I didn't see eye to eye about my job. I thought I was there for typing and filing and he thought I was there to service his briefs." Steph improvised. We looked forward to her answers during distractions. Ever since 'group sex' night, she would try and throw in something every time to make us laugh.

"And you didn't think his case was worth taking?" Thomas pressed.

"Not his," Steph answered before throwing out her hook to reel him in. "He was a pushover that obviously had no idea how to treat a woman." Her voice became a little more breathy and totally sexy, "But if I could find someone who knew how to take control I would be more than willing to take a chance on a real man."

"That sounds like a challenge I can't pass up," Thomas assumed himself to be up to the task.

I heard the ice in Steph's drink rattling in her glass and I knew she'd just downed the remainder of her tonic. "Then why don't we get out of here so you can show me what you've got."

Junior's voice came through loud and clear, "She's got him. This was a record. Less than two minutes and he's following her out the front door like a little puppy."

Tank and I stepped aside and got ready to surprise Thomas and protect Steph. "He's at the door," Vince told us from his seat inside.

We waited, but the door didn't open. I looked at Tank, but he was staring at the door willing it to open. Realizing something was off I listened harder for any sound that would let us know what was happening, but it was impossible to get much over the noise in the bar.

When the door finally opened I saw Thomas had Steph directly in front of him with her arm twisted behind her. I had to assume from the look in her eyes that he had a weapon of some sort digging into her back.

Thomas began yelling as soon as the door closed behind them, "I've got your girl and I'll kill her if you make one false move. I needed to pass along a message to the great Manoso and this was the only way I knew you would get it. My boss says to get out of his business. He isn't worried that you're going to find anything, but your digging around is making all sorts of trouble for him and he doesn't appreciate it. This is the only warning you'll get from him."

"And who is your boss?" Ranger asked from the shadows not revealing his body as a target.

"You know exactly who he is. There's no way you can forget his face." Thomas said cryptically. I had to assume it meant something to Ranger. All I knew for sure is that from my location I had only a compromised shot at Thomas from behind. He didn't seem to be aware of my position, but I couldn't guarantee my shot wouldn't harm Stephanie. I wouldn't take it unless I was ordered to, but I stood at the ready just in case.

"You've given me your message," Ranger told him. "Now let the girl go."

"I think she might do nicely as a reminder that he means business," Thomas warned. "Plus if you are busy caring for her, then I'll have time to get back to the office and tell him you've been warned and if you continue trying to push your way into our business then the leeway you're usually given on Stark Street won't apply and we can respond to your presence immediately."

"Like I said," Ranger said with his tone hardening on every word. "I've got the message now let her go."

"Okay, you can have her," Thomas said before moving his hand just enough I saw the 9 mm he was gripping. Before I could pull the trigger he shot Stephanie near the shoulder.

Rage blinded us all. Ranger's voice came through with a command of "Ram!" which I knew meant to shoot him. I was a sniper, after all. The only reason my name was said was to tell me to take him out. No one hurt Stephanie without paying a price. Knowing if I killed him it would create more paperwork for Vinnie, I dropped my aim and shot him in the upper thigh instead.

In the brief seconds between the two shots, all the guys from inside and from the cars in the lot surrounded us. Bobby ran over and went straight to Stephanie. The wound appeared to be just below her shoulder which meant that while it probably didn't damage her heart, it might have hit her lung. "Shit!" Bobby yelled making my earpiece squeal with feedback from the loud sound so close to her wire.

Ranger was on the ground holding Steph's hand immediately. "What is it?" He asked with the anger only tapped down by the fear that we all heard in his voice.

"The bullet didn't go through and I think it's in her lung. She's got to go now; this is going to require surgery right away. She's out, and her breathing is already getting shallow." Bobby explained, not bothering to make it sound like she would be okay.

Ranger dropped her hand and picked her up in his arms cradling her like a young child. He jumped in the SUV waiting with Woody behind the driver's seat. Woody was probably the best driver on RangeMan staff. If anyone could get her there in record time the speed demon behind the wheel could do it.

Tank went ahead and cuffed Thomas while he was screaming on the ground from the flesh wound I gave him. After hearing Bobby detail Steph's injury I suddenly wished I hadn't been so careful in selecting my target and I'd hit him in a place that would do more damage - perhaps a foot higher and more to the center.

Tank looked around at the guys who were still in shock about what had happened. "Hal, you and Binkie get this joker the medical attention that's medically necessary and turn him over to the PD."

Binkie grabbed Thomas under the arm and half drug him to the SUV. Binkie and Steph had a special relationship and he was especially upset about how things went down. He was the youngest guy on staff, and although he was very talented in hand to hand combat, and served as a Ranger for three years before coming on board with us, Steph still treated him like a younger brother that needed her protection around the rest of us. I was as guilty as the others of picking on Binkie in front of her just to watch the anger in her eyes as she jumped to his defense. Steph's passion for anything was amazing and her heartfelt defense of the young guy was no exception.

Tank continued to hand out orders, "Les, get back to the office and set up a schedule for Steph's room. I want two men on the door at all times, rotating every four hours. Ram and I will head there now and stay until 2400 hours. You can distribute the schedule and text me with who to expect then."

Les nodded his understanding, and I knew he would be there at midnight even though the graveyard was the shift most people wanted to avoid. Until we had word on her condition, most of the guys would be hanging around the hospital anyway. He may as well be there officially.

I jumped in beside Tank and we silently made our way to the hospital. When we got there Bobby and Ranger were in the waiting room. Ranger's shirt was covered in blood, despite being black, the glistening wet evidence of her condition was there for us to see. Bobby was leaning against the wall, eyes to the front, staring at the swinging doors that led to the OR. The fact that he wasn't sitting and waiting patiently as was his practice only added to the tension. Within ten minutes, most of the available guys were filling up the waiting room. No one dared to approach Ranger who alternated between waiting with his head resting on his hands and pacing.

I knew I should think positively, but the training to always have a contingency plan kicked in and I began to look around the room trying to figure out how we could subdue Ranger if she didn't make it. Most of the staff were behind a half wall petition so we would just need to contain him to this side long enough for Bobby to sedate him if necessary. Of course keeping him still long enough for Bobby to hit him with a needle would be no small task.

Of course that assumed Ranger would be the only one to flip out. If someone came out and told us that Steph had died, a lot of us might be too stunned to react. We had all gotten used to her bubbly face around the office, waving at us on the monitors and joining us for the occasional night out. I doubt any of the guys told her how much it meant when she went to a club with us. Being able to hold Steph in your arms on the dance floor made you want to be worthy of the honor, and for the three to five minutes the song lasted it was easy to forget all horrible things you'd seen and done.

When the doctor came out an hour and a half after we arrived, we all stood up. He approached Bobby and Ranger, but didn't try to tell us to back up in order to protect Steph's right to medical privacy. Smart man.

"Ms. Plum is out of surgery and is currently in critical condition. The bullet entered at an angle and splintered two ribs before traveling through her lungs and lodging in her trachea. While it did no damage directly to her heart, the damage to the lung and windpipe was significant enough to put her heart in arrest. We were able to start her normal rhythm again with the paddles during surgery. The bullet is out, and we've repaired the damage as best we can for now," The doctor reported while twisting the surgical cap he held in his hands.

"She'll have a long recovery ahead of her and will need extensive respiratory therapy. For now, we'll keep a careful watch over her for the next twenty-fours. If she remains stable, we'll downgrade her condition then. In the meantime, we plan on keeping her sedated in order to keep her on the ventilator. I know she has a reputation as a fighter, and I'm afraid if she wakes up she'll do damage to herself trying to get the tube out before her lungs are ready to support her." He finished his report.

Bobby spoke up, "I'd like to be included in all the care plans so that I can better understand what her needs will be upon release. There will also be two men stationed outside her room at all times, and one man with her. The hospital has made similar accommodations for her in the past."

"Of course," The doctor agreed before turning to walk away. His shoulders were slumped as though he just endured a long hard war. I knew that look, I'd had it myself. It happened when you realized you'd just technically been victorious in battle, but the fight was won at a great cost to yourself.

Tank clapped his hand on Ranger's shoulder, "Why don't you go sit with her, man? Me and Ram will be outside and Les will be here in a few hours with a schedule to rotate coverage until she's ready to come home to us."

Ranger looked up at the mention of home. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. We're the ones who put her in this condition in the first place. She shouldn't be around us, she shouldn't be around me. I always knew my enemies would get to her. Shit, this time she even warned me, but I wouldn't listen. She's in there fighting for her life because of me. She doesn't deserve that. The best thing we can do is see her through this and when she's better, we let her go. I always knew that she'd outgrow what I could offer her and this is just accepting the inevitable and giving her a chance at a happy life without all the danger I bring to her."

"That's bullshit and you know it RangeMan." Tank countered. "You know it would kill her if you sent her away. Plus, do you know a man here that would cut her out of their life because you were afraid you couldn't keep her safe?"

I had to admit that Tank made a good point. I didn't care if it was a direct order, I wouldn't turn my back on her. I wouldn't punish her because of our mistake.

Ranger just pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before letting out a long breath and nodding his head. The crowd thinned out and I followed Tank to the hall that would be my domain for the next two and a half hours.

So far we had turned away a team of medical students, a nosey nurse who didn't work on this floor, and the reporter dressed as an orderly. The time was flying by.

When Les and Vince came by to relieve us, I didn't want to go, but knew I had no valid reason for staying. Ranger came out when he heard us talking in the hallway. I wouldn't say anything, but he looked like hell, as though staying in the room with Stephanie had aged him a dozen years in just two hours.

"How is she?" Tank asked.

Ranger shrugged. "No change."

"Why don't you take a walk and clear your head. We'll keep an eye on her for awhile." Tank instructed our boss.

Ranger nodded, but looked at Tank before moving. "We need to discuss a few things."

Tank turned to me. "Go sit with Bomber. I'm going to take a walk with RangeMan and I'll be back to relieve you."

I nodded and went into her room for the first time. I had seen a lot of things in battle and in my time with the guys, but nothing prepared me for the frail look of Stephanie hooked up to the ventilator and all the tubes and wires. She looked small and helpless and every instinct I had to protect those weaker than me kicked in.

I took the seat next to her bed and knew Ranger had just vacated his watch over her from this same spot. Her hand was on top of the covers and had a single needle in it connected to a drip above her bed. I ran my rough finger over her pale skin and wondered if she was aware of my presence.

"Hey Steph," I said aloud, instantly feeling foolish for talking to someone who the doctor had said would be kept unconscious. "I just wanted you to know I'm here and we'll be by your side until you're better."

Saying the second sentence felt a little less childish so I kept talking to her. "The doctor said you were fighting, which is great. We'll watch over you so all your energy can go to healing. I was proud of you tonight. I heard what you said about the distraction and I agreed with you. It turns out your instincts were dead on, huh?" I cringed at my choice of description for her intuition that something wasn't right tonight.

I found myself talking to her for the next half hour. It was so much easier to say things to Steph while she sleeping. Partly it was because she couldn't interrupt to disagree with me, but mostly it was because I knew she wouldn't remember it for me to be embarrassed about it later.

Tank came in quietly and said, "You can go. Boss wants to meet at 0700 in the conference room. He knows who Thomas was talking about and he wants us to come up with a plan to take him out for what happened tonight." Then Tank looked at Stephanie and ran his knuckle across her white cheek. "This shit can't go unpunished or she'll live her life with a bull's-eye on her back." I had to agree with him on that.

Tank was probably the most protective of Stephanie besides Ranger himself. A couple of years ago Lula and Tank were dating pretty heavily and she told him why she and Steph were such close friends. When Lula was in the hospital after Ramirez left her for dead on Steph's fire escape, Stephanie stayed by her side for hours at the time. She brought flowers to her room and did her nails while she was unconscious. According to Lula, there was no reason for her to have done it other than she was just one of those people who loved people because she could, not because she wanted something in return. Some of Lula's opinion of Steph rubbed off on Tank too, and before long, he'd check to see if her trackers were on-line nearly as often as the boss did.

Hell, it wasn't hard to get most of the guys to share a similar story about her. Everybody had their one reason for standing by Steph, and few of us did it because we were ordered to anymore. This little girl had wiggled her way into our hearts and there was nothing left for us to do but to protect her as one of our own.

I planned on going back to my apartment, but found myself at my cubicle instead. I wanted to run a check on Thomas myself. This wasn't my case but as soon as he shot Steph, it became mine.

It didn't take much searching to figure out who his boss was that sent the message to Ranger. Although Thomas had a job with a meat packing plant downtown, he was associated with a known gang leader named Manuel Lopez. I did a little secondary searching into Lopez, who I knew only by name on the streets. He had his hand in most of the crime one way or the other on Stark Street, but the police didn't seem to be able to get much to stick. By reputation, his business included girls and drugs, but more importantly he was the Stark Street version of a mafia leader. Store owners paid him for protection, and Lopez kept their businesses safe when the gangs were out on the streets at night.

I had heard Ranger say on several occasions that he could live peacefully with Lopez out there because Lopez could be controlled and in the long run he probably did more good than harm. I don't think he liked him, but they had a mutual respect for each other. It was a deal with the devil, but it's better to go with the devil you know than the one that will rise up to take his place.

I sat back in my chair and wondered what Ranger had up his sleeve to take out Lopez. The cops kept him under pretty constant surveillance and it would be noticed if he suddenly disappeared and was never heard from again. Of course if Ranger had a plan I wanted to be on the front line of the action.

There were few people I held in high enough regard to want to serve with. Tank, of course, just because of his shear bulk and overwhelming power. Lester would be my next choice. Most people think of him as a jokester, but after working by his side for a few years I guess his outlook on life accounts for his lighthearted approach. Some people turn inward when they have his kind of attitude, but Lester is determined to get some pleasure out of every day and as a result he has a laugh for pretty much every situation. Few people realize that the flip side of his personality is his opinion that his life will be cut short so he tries to pack as much as possible into each moment. I've seen Lester fight and when he is set loose he fights like a man with nothing to lose. He is exactly the kind of man I'd want fighting beside me.

Regardless of who I had beside me, there is no doubt of who I'd want as my leader. I didn't take my position at RangeMan lightly. I'd served beside Ranger on several excursions in the Rangers, and I knew he would run his business in the same way. I've never regretted my decision to join his company. His mind is constantly moving and his ability to come up with brilliant plans under constant pressure is amazing. Lopez may have thought he was sending a message to Ranger to leave him alone, but he has no idea what he's unleashed. A plan will be devised by a master military mind. It will be carried out by top trained military precision and Lopez will lose his life because he thought the best way to make us lay down was to hurt us through Steph. In fact, what he's done is unite us with a common bond that can't be broken.

I hope he sleeps well tonight because come tomorrow his moments of breathing are numbered.


	2. Getting the Message Across

_The characters and credit belong to JE, the confusion and disasters are all me._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) you are a terrific Beta. Thank you for all the time you put into helping my stories take life._

**Chapter 2 – Getting the Message Across**

Sitting around the conference room table Tank, Les, Woody, Ranger and I all had the same black folder in front of us. Ranger began going through the contents in his usual terse style.

As I suspected the 'boss' Thomas had referred to yesterday was Lopez. The picture included in the file showed a long thin scar going across his nose, over his right cheek and to his ear. I guess that explained Thomas' reference to Ranger about not being able to forget his face.

"For a while we have worked around Lopez, but in recent weeks we've begun to hear rumblings about a new source for untraceable guns. Word on the street is that Lopez is the new source. I'm assuming he wants me to back away so that I don't interfere with what could be a lucrative income source for him. Unfortunately, the ATF has contacted me to work jointly with them to bring down his organization before he begins to move the supply he has stored."

I always knew Ranger did work on the side with all parts of the government alphabet, DEA, CIA, HSA, and etc. I guess the ATF is just one more bone in the soup for him. For Lopez to risk pissing off Ranger meant that he must have a huge supply of guns that would make it worth the risk. He'll probably be willing to do just about anything to protect his store of munitions which will make the op even more fun.

"We need to make sure that no one knows that we're working with the feds and in order to keep our involvement with the ATF on the down low, I want us to capture Lopez alive and bring him back here. If he is acting alone for his own greed, then taking him out would be the simple solution. But, in the event that he is just the middle man, and his supplier is a bigger fish, we may have to just rough him up in an attempt to make it look like retaliation for last night, and then send him back until we can trace the source."

Ranger seemed to struggle to get the last phrase out. He never stumbled over his words, but what happened to Steph, had clearly shaken him up. Hell, it had gotten to us all. I know I hardly slept because every time I closed my eyes I saw her frail form lying in the hospital bed or I saw her collapse after Thomas pulled the trigger.

"In your packet I've outlined the plan for tonight. Lopez will be at his office on Stark and Third around midnight. Even though he always has four to six guards around him at all times, this is still the quietest time to take him alive. We'll need to be cautious of being seen or leaving evidence. This particular part of the mission is off the feds' playbook, so if we're caught, we'd be on our own with kidnapping charges at a minimum. If any of you want to opt out, now's the time to speak up so that I can recruit your replacement."

Ranger looked around the table making eye contact with each of us. I could tell from the clicking of Lester's ballpoint pen that he was beginning to itch for a fight and I saw Tank nod. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted in so that only left Woody, who was silent. That was nothing new, he didn't talk much. After a brief pause Ranger took the silence as our acceptance and he began to go through the plan for tonight.

"At 2400 hours we will leave from the garage in two vehicles. Woody will drive a van equipped for the transport of Lopez with Lester. Tank, you will drive Ram and me in an SUV." He pulled out a map of the single story building where Lopez kept an office. "We will enter from the alley door, which is not guarded, but does have a camera on it. My experience is that he doesn't have someone monitoring the camera feed so we may be able to get in undetected for a few seconds."

"Once we go down the short hall here, there will be at least one of his goons which we will need to silently subdue, if it's at all possible. I'd like to get Lopez out with no loss of life, but if they are waiting on us then we'll have to wing it as we go. Obviously if somebody has to meet their maker tonight, I'd prefer it not be one of us."

"Heard that!" Lester interjected.

"From this point we will split up, with Tank and I taking the hall to the right and Les and Ram going to the left eliminating any resistance as we go in order to secure the building. Lopez will be in this center room and by the time we reach it, he should have no more than two additional guards which we should be able to handle easily between us."

The plan seemed simple enough. The fact that it was a shitty little building with very little in the way of resistance would certainly work to our favor.

"Should Lopez put up a fight, then Ram will persuade him to come with us in the same way he did Thomas." I nodded my head that I understood if Lopez drew his weapon at us I could shoot to immobilize without killing him. I silently hoped he fought because my finger had been itching since last night to pull the trigger again. Maybe I'd toy with him and make the shot higher and on his inner thigh. It would bring him down and scare the hell out of him that the next bullet would be for his boys. I don't care who you are, any tough guy will surrender at the thought of taking one there. Of course I'd run the risk of nicking the artery that runs from the groin and I know Ranger wants him alive so I needed to be careful that he won't bleed out.

As if his mind were running in the same direction as mine, Les asked, "Where's Brown?" This type of operation usually included our company medic and if I was going in planning on shooting someone, it would be nice to have us covered with medical care if necessary.

"He'll remain at the hospital with Steph unless one of us is present until she is cleared to be released. There's still a threat to her life so she must be guarded at all times, and until the doctors downgrade her status I want him there to monitor her condition." Ranger said plainly. This was the first time his voice sounded tired to me, as though the stress of seeing her in the hospital had bothered him like it had me.

"There is a rotation that includes all of you, to provide coverage around her room for the next two weeks. I want to keep at least one core member at the hospital around the clock, so if you need to switch shifts, it needs to be with someone from this room or Brown." Ranger didn't wait for confirmation; he knew his orders would be followed without question. Since he had no other information, we were dismissed.

I followed Woody out to the control room to take a look at the schedule. I had a shift from noon to four this afternoon at the hospital. The first hour was to be in Steph's room as relief to Bobby who apparently was to be there around the clock except for the scheduled breaks every four hours. The rest of my shift would be outside her door with Binkie. Binkie could be chatty, which was fine on a surveillance shift in a car, but in this setting we needed to be silent. I hoped he would understand that so I didn't have to get on the kid. I couldn't help but smile at the idea that if Steph had heard that comment her eyes would be getting darker as she explained to me that Binkie was no kid and just as worthy of my respect as any other guy on the team.

I went down to the range and blew though a couple of boxes of ammo. Some people liked the quiet to get themselves ready for ops like tonight, but I preferred to do my meditation with a Glock in my hand. The steady rhythm of the gun firing was soothing and watching the holes appear in the paper target was a satisfying reminder that I could bring down Lopez tonight in any way I wanted.

I rushed through my workout in the gym and finished my shower in time to head over to the hospital. When I arrived, Binkie was replacing Vince and I nodded at Hal who I knew would be there until I came out when Bobby returned. I stepped in the room a little better prepared for what I would see. Bobby was leaning over Steph listening to her chest with a stethoscope. I'm sure he was aware of my entrance but he didn't acknowledge it.

Standing up, he lifted his chin slightly as a greeting. I'd worked with Bobby enough to know that that's what his gesture meant. He pointed to the sink in her room and told me to wash my hands up to my elbows. I looked at him quizzically as I went over to do it.

"She made it through the night with no other cardiac events, so they will probably downgrade her condition to stable today. The problem is the damage to her lung and windpipe was significant so the biggest risk now is any type of infection. At this point even a little cold could be disastrous for her. If you even think about sneezing, you need to go out in the hall." I scrubbed a little harder as the reality of what he was describing sank in.

"Anything else I need to know?" I asked.

"Nah, she's still sedated. The doctors probably won't take her off the meds until tomorrow so she should be quiet. If she starts to dream and moves much you can buzz the nurse to top her off, but I doubt it will be a problem." He said before stretching his back and promising to return in an hour.

Once the door closed I took a seat in the chair next to her bed and gently stroked her hand as I had yesterday. "Hey Steph, it's me." I told her, glad the guys in the hall couldn't hear me. I went on to tell her we had a plan to take care of the guy that caused her to get hurt last night and promised we wouldn't stop until she was safe. I wanted to be sure that she knew that we would be fighting for her out there while she was fighting for her life here.

"I'm scheduled to stand watch outside your door this afternoon. When Les did the schedule he partnered me with Binkie. Since you can't get up to keep me straight I promise I'll be nice to him. But, once you're up and at 'em I plan on giving him a hard time like I always do." I smiled at my own joke and noticed her hand moved a little. I looked at her eyes but there was no movement there as is often the case when someone is dreaming. I slid my hand under hers and held it with my rough fingers. She was so soft compared to me.

I shook my head trying to clear it. Those types of thoughts were trouble. This was the boss' woman I was looking at. Just because he didn't seem to be acting on making her his, it didn't mean we were allowed to make a move. As I was lost again in my thoughts her fingers tightened slightly around mine.

"I'm still here," I told her reflexively. I didn't know if she could hear me, but as long as she seemed to be responding in some way I felt the need to keep talking. Since she seemed to move the last time when I mentioned Binkie I decided to go with that again. "I tell you what, I'll go one further for you. Until you are able to do the job yourself, I'll stand in temporarily as Binkie's big brother and keep the guys off his back for you. That way you can focus on getting better without having to worry over him."

Her hand tightened on mine again. I knew she was sedated but I could swear she was responding to me talking to her. I glanced at the clock and saw Bobby should be back in ten minutes. I realized how out of practice I was at talking to people. I didn't have a lot of interaction with anyone outside of the office setting. Sure I had the occasional bar pick up and one night stand, but conversation wasn't generally a requirement for those women. Conversations with Steph were usually led by her and I was at a loss about what to talk about. I had already promised to look out for Binkie and I didn't want to make anymore promises in case she really could hear me.

"I'm on the schedule tomorrow afternoon to sit with you a bit and then serve my time with Binkie. I'll let you know about the op tonight." I realized I was the one squeezing her hand this time. I was pledging to take care of this guy on her behalf in order to give her the chance to live without the threat of this jerk hanging over her head.

There was the slightest bit of movement from her thumb as though she were trying to rub my hand in a soothing way. Leave it to her to try and comfort one of us in the midst of a hospital stay.

Bobby came in and saw me sitting there holding her hand. "Any change?" He asked.

"I thought I felt her squeeze my hand," I said in a casual way. As I said the words she did it again.

I was going to point it out, but Bobby interrupted me, "It's just a muscle spasm. She is really out of it. Nothing we say right now will get through the fog they are keeping her in." He said as her thumb rubbed my knuckle again. I didn't care what the medical expert said, I knew she was trying to communicate with me and I wanted her to know I heard her.

I gently took my hand from under hers and leaned over her to place a kiss on her cheek. I whispered, "I know you're in there listening and trying to communicate. And just so you know, I heard you."

I nodded at Bobby as he took my empty seat and then went in the hall to stand beside Binkie. The first two hours were passed in silence except for turning away the occasional curiosity seeker. After turning away a nurse from the obstetrics floor Binkie turned to me and said, "I get why we're turning all these people away, but where are her real visitors? Have her parents even bothered to show up?"

My first reaction was to tell him to shut-up and guard the door. Her personal life was none of our business. But, before the words came out, I remembered my promise to watch out for him so I gave him the info he needed to make sense out of things. "Her grandmother is on a seniors cruise for two weeks, and her parents went to Point Pleasant for a long weekend. They don't know yet. As long as Steph is stable, we don't need to call her parents in from their rare vacation early. If anything changes Bobby will contact them. She left the instructions with him about a year ago in case something like this ever happened. She didn't want them sitting around her room looking for any clue that she would make it or not."

"What about Morelli? He usually shows up to yell at her." Binkie pushed, apparently confusing my explanation with a desire to talk.

I took a deep breath and tapped down my urge to snap, wondering if Steph might be conscious tomorrow and I could weasel out of my deal to watch over the kid standing to my right. "He's out of town on an assignment in New York. But he's been out of the picture for months now, so we don't owe him any information. The PD has the basic rundown of what happened for their file on Thomas. They can let him know themselves if they think he'd care." I said in a short tone hoping he'd get the point and stop asking questions.

Another thirty minutes passed in silence. "How is she, really?" He asked much softer as though a part of him didn't really want to know.

I didn't look at him because I knew the expression that would be on his face. He could fight with the best of us, but if the situation didn't call for it, he didn't have much of a neutral appearance to hide behind. "She's fighting, but it's going to be a long road for her."

"Do you think we'll be allowed to see her once she's conscious?" He asked tentatively.

"I'm not a doctor, but I'm guessing they are going to limit it for a while. Bobby said an infection of any sort could be devastating for her. So, they need to limit the number of people and the number of germs she's exposed to." I said feeling slightly bad for him. He obviously wanted to see her and I knew how I'd feel if I was being kept away. It was that momentary emotion that made me open my fat mouth and keep talking.

"Don't worry man. If anybody can pull through this it's her and with Bobby by her side 24/7 she'll get the very best care. She'll be yelling at the rest of us to leave you alone in no time." I told him.

I thought I caught a light chuckle. "I miss that." He confessed. "Not that I can't take care of myself, but I think it's funny how you guys back down when she raises her voice and starts flapping her arms around."

Apparently Binkie had a sense of humor.

I spent the rest of the day after my stint at the hospital watching the clock and waiting for midnight so we could roll. I went downstairs at ten 'til and saw Santos sitting on a half post moving his head to the beat of something playing on his I-pod. Woody had the hood of the van up and was going over every line and belt himself. I swear if you cut that guy, he'd bleed axle grease. I'd never seen someone who enjoyed cars and engines like he did. Like I had room to talk, my bones were probably copper casings. With that thought I took out my guns one at the time and wiped them down, checking the pump-actions and movements several times over.

Tank and Ranger came down together five minutes later and we reviewed the op one more time. It was a simple in and out, but I respected the need to be sure we were all on the same page. We were given our comm units before we loaded up for Stark Street.

The ride was silent; there was no need for conversation. We got to Second Street where we would leave Woody and the vehicles, parked and got out. We were going the rest of the way on foot.

Ranger stopped and pointed to a camera above the door of our target location. It was foolishly aimed straight down preventing it from getting much in the way of facial imaging for anyone standing at the door. It was unbelievable someone this careless about security could be considered a force in this part of town. It seemed like people who were cocky about their status were typically taken down because of mistakes like this one.

We made it to the end of the short hall without encountering anyone. Ranger gave a nod as he and Tank took off in one direction and Lester and I began going the other way. When we turned the second corner there were two men with their backs to us. Les rolled his eyes at their idiocy to leave their backs unguarded. We silently slipped behind them and a well placed blow to the side of their head left them both unconscious and in need of a high dose of Tylenol when they woke up.

At the next bend we had made our way to the front hall that should reunite us with Tank and Ranger at the office door where Lopez should be. The single guard sitting there was facing forward, but he would no doubt see us as we approached. At the last minute I pulled out the toy I grabbed before leaving that was new to my arsenal. On my left hip I had a dart gun that was loaded with a fast acting tranquilizer. I knelt to take aim and got him in the fleshy part on the back of his lower leg. Five seconds later I saw him slump slightly and knew it had worked.

Ranger raised an eyebrow at me when we met them in front of the door and lifted his chin slightly. I knew that was a complement on my forethought to bring the dart gun. I didn't understand why Steph was always complaining that we didn't talk. Just because our mouths weren't moving didn't mean we couldn't communicate.

Tank took the lead in front of the door, counting down with the fingers on his left hand: three, two, one. He kicked the door in with his massive size fifteen boot easily splintering the wood around the pitiful excuse for a lock.

There were two kids with semi-automatics in their hands that jumped up completely surprised by our presence. I took out one with a shot to the hand on the trigger and Ranger hit the shoulder of the other. Their weapons were on the floor and they showed no sign of wanting to try to fight with us after seeing our size and firepower advantage.

Lopez didn't bother to get up. "Manoso, you only needed to call for an appointment. You know you can see me anytime you need to. This type of display was not necessary." He said in an arrogant tone of voice.

"After the message you sent me last night, I assumed our normal means of communicating had been changed. I'm merely responding in kind. You left one of my employees in the hospital fighting for their life and I think that deserves a personal message of my own in return." Ranger said with an undercurrent of rage in his voice.

"I don't believe I know what you're talking about. I didn't authorize anyone getting hurt, I only asked my man to tell you to back off for a while. My business is changing and I didn't need the complication of you getting involved. As long as you understand that, we have nothing else to discuss." Lopez tried to bargain.

I saw Ranger raise his gun directly at Lopez, "I disagree. I think we have a great deal left to discuss, and you're coming with us now to a more private location."

Lopez stood up with his hands in the air as though he were an innocent victim. "Manoso, I don't want any trouble with you. We've always been able to work around each other, but don't think I'm a fool. I'm not just going to walk out of here with you, but I'll be glad to discuss anything you want to man to man, right here in my office."

"I don't think so Lopez. This is my message and you don't get to set the terms." Ranger said through his teeth. "Ram, how about a dose of the same medicine as his man in the hall?"

I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't going to get to really shoot him, but I lifted my left hand thankful that I could shoot with either hand. It was just another skill Uncle Sam drilled into me in sniper school. Before Lopez could even register what Ranger had just said, I had a dart sticking out of his shoulder. When he moved to look at it, his knees gave out and he collapsed.

"Handy toy," Tank told me as he threw Lopez easily over one shoulder. I pulled the dart out of his body and took the one from the guy in the hallway on our way out as well. Ranger said to not leave any evidence of our presence and these little beauties weren't available on the market outside of a military setting yet. It was nice to know it worked. My old dart thrower had slightly pulled to the right, but this one appeared to be dead on. I was pleased despite my disappointment at not watching the pain on Lopez's face when a bullet cut through his tissue.

Tank threw him in the back of the van, none too gently. He was shackled to the wall of the van with leg irons and chains on each hand. Lester rode in the back on a bench seat across from Lopez's unconscious form.

"How long is that going to last?" Les asked trying to figure out if he needed to be prepared for a fight.

I shrugged my shoulders because I'd never used them before and couldn't give him a definite time. "The literature said an hour, but he's a little bigger than the average guy, so it may be less."

Les nodded his understanding and slammed the door closed just before Woody took off for Haywood.

The holding cells in the bottom of the RangeMan building are perfectly designed. The walls are completely soundproofed with bullet absorbing material to prevent ricochet. There is a one way mirror half way up a single wall enabling us to view what is happening in the room. The steel table in the center is bolted to the floor and the metal chair the detainee is shackled to can't be broken to use as a weapon. We rarely use them for military style interrogations, but if we need them to fill that purpose they easily can.

Ranger then disappointed us all by turning to us and saying, "You are dismissed until your next scheduled shifts." He did a silent communication with Tank who stayed behind, probably to keep him from killing Lopez. I was disappointed for the second time this evening to not be included in this part of the mission, but I knew Ranger well enough to know my presence was neither needed nor wanted so leaving was in my best interest.

Santos complained, "Man, I have to miss all the good stuff, no shooting, no real fighting, no fun!" as we walked up the stairs. Yea, I'd take Santos on my side in a fight anytime.

It was hard to go to sleep after the adrenaline rush of gearing up, but not much exertion from the capture. I knew it would be a problem so I changed and headed down to the gym instead. I saw Les was already there beating a punching bag to a pulp. I jumped on a treadmill and set it for a fast run. Les nodded to me half an hour later on his way out. I still had some miles ahead of me to let go of my physical need for release.

The next day, I awoke at 6:00 allowing myself to sleep in because of the late night. I skipped the gym because of my workout the night before and went straight up to my desk. Ranger had sent a note asking the team to meet back in the conference room at 8:00. I ran some searches on the cases that had been assigned to me. I went to the control room to the check the schedule for any changes to my assignment for the day.

Cal was working the monitors with Binkie and I heard him bragging, "And that's why a youngster like you doesn't stand a chance against a more experienced man like me." At heart I didn't care what they were talking about and I almost ignored it completely, but before I walked out, I remembered my promise to Steph and I turned around. "What's the competition?"

Cal answered confident I would join his side to harass Binkie as I had in the past. "The kid here thinks he can get the number of the new chick at the coffee shop on the corner because he is younger and more innocent looking. I pointed out to him that no one gives their phone number to a guy that looks to be searching for a date to the prom."

A smile twitched at the corner of my lips before I could control it. I got it under control and asked, "How old is she?"

"Late twenties, early thirties," Cal answered.

"Let her go man," I advised Binkie. "Leave that age bracket to the old guys like us. You should be going after the young girl that just started at the deli. She's twenty-four or five tops and could keep up with you better."

Binkie and Cal both looked shocked that I didn't take a side, but the kid recovered first and stammered out a, "Thanks, man. I'll check her out."

I left shaking my head promising myself to find a way to wiggle out of the job as protector to Binkie. It was going to ruin my reputation before Steph was back at the office.

The team reassembled around the conference room where Ranger gave us a brief version of what happened after we left. "I spoke to Lopez and after a little convincing he managed to let it slip that he is unfortunately just the middle man in the arms trading scheme. He receives the shipment, and stores them for a week to ten days, and then he delivers it to the waterfront when he gets the information from his contact. For his trouble he gets a sizable amount of money and a case of untraceable handguns to sell on the street."

"If he's not handling them directly, then why would he care if you knew what was going on?" Les asked.

"He needed this shipment for some cash flow and he knew I was beginning to ask around. He figured hurting Stephanie would keep us occupied with her and he could get this payment before I got back to digging into his business. He told Thomas to hit her somewhere to hurt her for a day or two. Unfortunately Thomas was too stupid to get that part right and he managed to nearly kill her as a distraction to us." Ranger finished while stretching his neck by turning his head from one side to another. He rarely showed petty emotions like irritation, but that was his clear cut signal when he was trying to rein in his emotions.

"What's going to happen to Lopez?" Woody asked before I had a chance to.

"I'm going to put him back on the street tonight after Bobby has a chance to patch him up a little. It seems he got mugged walking around Stark Street last night alone."Ranger added with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"What about Steph?" I asked.

Ranger's eyes cut to me quickly. Most of us assumed Ranger had a plan for Stephanie's safety at all times so we rarely questioned him when it came to her. He paused before answering. "I've made an appropriate impression on Lopez regarding how I feel about him hurting her. He is aware that if anyone hurts her in the future I will consider it a personal attack on me and even if the order didn't come from him, I've promised to send you back to see him but this time you won't be using darts and you won't announce your presence by kicking in the door."

I could handle that. Ranger basically said if anyone hurts Steph, regardless of who it is or why, then I get to kill Lopez at my discretion. Now Lopez had a claim in keeping her safe. It was an idea just crazy enough to work. And if it failed, I was more than willing to carry out my role in the plan.

I took another shower before leaving for the hospital mindful of Bobby's warning about germs. I didn't think I'd been around anyone who was sick, but I didn't want that piece of guilt if she came down with something either.

I walked in Steph's room and noticed how tired Bobby looked. He been here for over thirty six hours and it was beginning to show. "Man why don't you get some rest? I can have Hal stay with Binkie outside and I'll be in here for a couple of hours. Is there a room where you can crash or do you want to go back to the office?"

Bobby ran his hands over his eyes before reminding me to wash my hands as he yawned. "I know some of the nurses pretty well, if you don't mind staying I could ask them to put me somewhere so I can crash. I'll tell the guys outside where I am so they can get me if something happens."

Before Bobby could leave I asked, "Any word on when she might wake up?"

"Not really. They're weaning her off the medication now, so she might begin toying with consciousness, but I doubt she fully wake up before tonight at the very earliest. Even when she does, they'll need to keep her on some strong stuff for the pain for a while so she won't be fully with it for a while." He explained before adding, "Hey man, thanks."

"Anytime," I told him meaning it. I followed him out and spoke to Hal about staying for an extra hour or two so Bobby could crash for a bit. He was glad to help out and Binkie seemed encouraged for Steph if Bobby felt it was okay to leave her side for a bit.

When I reentered the room, I remembered to wash my hands again before taking my seat next to the bed. I slid my hand under hers and wrapped her fingers around mine like they were yesterday.

"Hey Steph, I'm back." I began wondering if Bobby had been right and yesterday had just been a fluke.

I decided to start with something simple and I told her about Lopez. When I finished I told her, "So now you should be safer than ever. Not only do you have all of us watching out for you, but you've got half of Stark Street watching your back too in order to keep Lopez breathing." I felt a mild twitch in her fingers at the last part.

"Don't worry; we don't trust him that much. We'll have our eyes and ears on the street, tracking all his movements in the meantime." I reassured her. Then I felt her thumb move across the back of hand.

"Hey, I stood up for Binkie this morning. Somehow he'd gotten himself in a pissing match with Cal over a girl at the coffee shop. I managed to hint that he didn't want the old woman there and suggested he go after the new chick at the deli instead. It shut Cal up, and gave Binkie the advantage of being the only one of us who could go after the younger woman." I told her before feeling her hand grip mine tighter.

Any ideas I had been entertaining to weasel out of my arrangement to look out for her charity case little brother were thrown out of the window by that response. Bobby could explain it as an involuntary reflex all he wanted to, but I knew she was responding to me.

"Bobby says they're pulling you off the medication and you should be waking up soon, maybe even by tonight. I'll bet you'll be glad to have that ventilator out of your throat." I suggested getting me a much stronger squeeze of the hand. "But you may still be in a lot of pain, so you're going to have to tell us what you need. You shouldn't have to live with the burden of hurting, so promise me you'll let them give you something to make it easier, at least for a while." I heard myself pleading.

My concern for her was rewarded with another movement of her thumb against my knuckles.

"Just so you know, I felt you trying to talk to me. I know when you squeeze my hand, or move your thumb. You may not have the words right now, but you're getting your message across. At least I can hear you loud and clear." This time when I finished speaking she squeezed my hand a little tighter than before, but she didn't let go as she had in the past. I noticed her heart rate rose marginally. Figuring that was probably a bad thing I tried to soothe her.

"Hey Steph, it's alright, you can relax. I'll be here until Bobby gets back. We can talk until then, okay?" She slightly released her grip on my hand, but I could tell she was still maintaining a little tension. And that is how I managed to spend the next hour and a half taking to her in the otherwise silent hospital room.

The guys would never let me live this down if they knew I could talk this much. Snipers tended to be loners. We went into a mission with a sole purpose that was to be completed in isolation as to prevent detection. I was okay with being alone and being perceived as quiet. I was going to have a find a way to convince Steph to keep our little secret once she woke up.


	3. Finding a Voice

_I deserve no credit; I'm just taking JE's characters out for a spin. Vroom, Vroom!_

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) once again you've proven yourself to be invaluable as the Beta for this story. Thank you!_

**Chapter 3 – Finding a Voice**

Two days passed with very little change to my schedule. Each morning we had staff meetings where we went over every piece of information we could find about this arms dealer that was using Lopez to move his shipments through Trenton.

Assignments were handed out for skips, and other leads that needed our attention to follow up on. I spent my early afternoon sitting with Steph and then guarding her room from the hall. She was beginning to stay conscious for longer periods of time, but they had not removed the ventilator yet even though they had turned down the amount of work it was doing to breathe on her behalf. The doctor thought today might be a good time to test her ability to breathe effectively on her own. Bobby figured he might do it after lunch. If her oxygen level stayed high enough they might remove it completely.

My standard partner for the last six months had been Erik, but he'd had to take a leave of absence to handle a family matter in Las Vegas. Since he left I've been working most cases on my own or Tank and I had ridden together. This morning Ranger said until Erik returned he wanted me to take Binkie out with me. He thought the new guy could use the experience of working with somebody that could show him the ropes and watch out for him while he learned in the field. I wanted to object, but realized I didn't want to have to admit to Steph that I rejected her pet project so I gave a half hearted, "Yes sir," and went to find my new partner.

Binkie made no attempt to hide the smile on his face when I told him he'd be riding with me for a while. That would have to be our first lesson. He simply couldn't go around acting that happy all the time.

Today, however, some interesting news came from the morning meeting. Yesterday, we'd finally gotten a lead on who the arms supplier could be that was controlling Lopez. We knew they would need to have a base of operations in a coastal town or perhaps an island in the Atlantic, but some recent Intel came in that suggested the orders to Lopez were coming from Miami. Ranger had passed the info on to his office there and they had come up with a couple of names. Ranger was planning on leaving tomorrow to follow up on them personally.

Binkie and I easily rounded up the skip given to us and dropped him off at the PD, before heading back to Haywood so I could shower before sitting with Steph. Bobby had noticed the extra care I took to insure her health so he had begun to take a nap each day for a couple of hours knowing I would keep a careful eye on her.

Today when I arrived her bed was angled up giving the appearance that she was sitting slightly which was new. I was encouraged at that. However, before I could get too excited I noticed a look in her eye. She was staring straight ahead and her eyes looked as though they wanted to shed a thousand tears, but none fell. "What's going on?" I asked Bobby while I washed my hands.

"The doctor will be by sometime this afternoon to test her breathing ability in order to see if she's ready to get rid of the ventilator. I have a feeling she is, but he'll be able to tell us for sure. Ranger was here for a while this morning and she's been pretty calm since then, but she hasn't napped any which is different." He explained walking to the door to get a little rest while I was there. "Try not to bug her too much, she really needs the rest." He instructed with his hand on the door.

"I'll send one of the guys to get you if the doctor comes while I'm here." I assured him as I took my seat next to Steph's left hand.

"Thanks, man," Bobby replied going out the door with a yawn.

I looked at Steph and her eyes were pleading but I didn't know for what. "It bugs you when we talk about you as though you aren't here, doesn't it?" I asked taking her hand and instantly feeling her squeeze mine in return. "It would bug me too. I'm sorry about that." I said reaching out to brush the hair away from her face.

Her eyes relaxed a little, but they had none of their usual sparkle. "Why haven't you slept today?" She just looked at me, but the expression in her eyes softened a little more. "Are you tired of sleeping from all the meds they've been pumping in you?" I guessed getting no reaction. Thinking about it for a few more minutes I tried again, "Is something on your mind keeping you from sleeping?" This time she squeezed my hand hard enough that I knew I'd guessed correctly.

Her face softened a little more and I found I was unable to look away from her. Her eyes changed color according to her mood, and right now they had a touch of grey in them like clouds over the ocean before a storm. That should have been my first clue of what was about to come.

She picked up her right hand and put it over her face blocking my view of her eyes. She was hiding from me, but I didn't understand why. "Steph, why are you doing that?" I asked trying to be patient for her to drop her hand. After a few seconds I noticed she was brushing tears away with her thumb and ring finger.

I couldn't stand it. I'm a military man. Give me a hostage situation and I have the cool to take out the gunman from 200 feet, confident that I can do it without hitting any innocents. Give me a room full of angry gang members and I can immobilize them with my 9mm in ten seconds, not wasting a shell. But, give me one blue eyed, curly haired brunette in tears and I am at a loss.

I put my hand gently on her wrist and pulled it away drying her tears with my thumbs aware of how rough my fingers must feel against her face. "You've got to help me understand what's wrong." I pleaded continuing to feel the pull of her eyes as though all the mysteries of the universe could be answered if I just stared hard enough.

"How about I go through what I know of your day and you squeeze my hand if I hit what's upset you?" I suggested desperate for a way to solve the problem. Her thumb made the familiar trail across my knuckles and I saw her relax a little which encouraged me.

"Are you concerned about what the doctor might say when he checks you out this afternoon?" I wondered. She slightly moved her head from side to side indicating that was not it.

"Ranger was here earlier," I began and her grip instantly tightened around my hand. "You're sad that he's leaving for a few days to check out some leads in Miami?" I asked a little surprised. Ranger had left town plenty of times before and it never seemed to unnerve her like this. She didn't respond to my suggestion so I thought a little harder. "Did he tell you why he was going to Miami?" I wondered and she squeezed me lightly making me think that he did.

"Why are you upset about him taking a short trip to check out leads? He's doing this to keep you safe and rid Trenton of a major arms supplier." I explained noticing the confused expression on her face. "Is that not what he told you?" I asked.

Again Steph moved her head from side to side telling me he didn't tell her the truth about him going to Miami.

"Did he tell you it would be for a few days?" I asked and she indicated no. "How long did he say he would be gone?" I asked as though she could just answer me question with words. I needed to give her options, "Did he give you a time frame?" Her hand tightened marginally. "A week?" I guessed but she shook her head no. "A month?" I stretched, receiving a no again. I decided to go with the ridiculous and said, "Indefinitely?" She clung to my hand and the tears began to fall again.

No wonder she was upset, here she was practically fighting for her life and the man who has always supported her came in and announced he was leaving indefinitely and she had no ability to question him because the tube in her mouth didn't allow her to talk. It was a good thing he was on a plane right now. I was mad enough to hunt him down and do something stupid to get myself fired if he were still in Trenton.

I knew I needed to do something, but I was clueless about what. "I'm sure he will be back." I tried to convince her but she relaxed her hand and shut her eyes. I took that as complete disagreement. "Did he say something else about why he was going to Miami?" I wondered just how bad this was about to get. Her eyes instantly opened and her fingers curved back around mine.

"Shit, Steph, what did he say?" I mentally kicked myself for asking her another question she couldn't answer. I had no ability to imagine how hard this was for her. Steph lived to talk and having that ability taken from her must be frustrating beyond belief. Then I remembered the conversation between Tank and Ranger when we were waiting on the report from the surgeon the night she was shot. "Did he say he was leaving to keep you safe?" I asked. The tears poured this time and the beeping of her heart monitor increased.

"Son of a Bitch!" I said a little more strongly than I should have, but it seemed to amuse her. At least the tears stopped and her eyes changed losing some of their grey hue and moving back to their normal blue. I didn't think through my next move until I was already sitting on the edge of her bed hugging her as softly as I could. I was trying to be mindful of the tubes and monitors hooked to her, but as soon as my arms went around her neck, her hand flew up my back and gripped my shirt as though I were her life preserver on a dark stormy ocean.

This is why I didn't tend to date much. I didn't know what to do when girls got all emotional. Of course, there was that part of me down deep that liked how this felt. I liked that she seemed to think there was something in me good enough to hold on to. I knew she saw us all that way, but feeling her arm wrapped around me only made it more real. I tried to pull back a little, but she held on even tighter to keep me from moving.

"Alright Steph, I'll stay here, but how about you let me move so I'm not putting pressure on your chest," I suggested feeling her fingers release the grip they had on my shirt in the back. Of course I regretted my noble gesture as soon as her arm moved because I missed the contact with her. I turned around so that I was sitting beside her, keeping my left foot on the floor to support some of my weight since her bed was too small to accommodate us both. I put my right arm over her shoulder and her head leaned on me. I took her left hand in mine as that seemed to be how we communicated best.

"I don't know why Ranger did what he did except that he blames himself for what happened to you. If he had listened to you before the distraction then you wouldn't be here now. On top of that, if he hadn't been digging into Lopez's business then Thomas wouldn't have used you to get to him. It's Ranger's worst nightmare that his life will somehow take away from yours." I tried to explain Ranger's actions even though I disagreed with what he'd done on every level. I mean, it's nice that he didn't want to see Stephanie hurt anymore, but this was a devastating way to do it.

I was quiet for a few minutes before I felt her head get slightly heavier against me. Looking down I saw she had fallen asleep. Apparently, the quiet guy had something to offer too. I could be a silent pillow for her to rest on. Here is where my training to be still and unnoticed would come in handy.

Bobby came in an hour later and saw her sleeping against me gripping my hand in hers.

"What happened here?" He asked barely above a whisper.

I wanted him to know what she'd been through this morning, but I didn't want to wake her. "Were you here when Ranger talked to Steph?" I asked as quietly as I could. She didn't stir so I assumed she was asleep pretty deeply.

"Nah, man, when the boss wants to talk to her I make myself scarce." He said. I would have done the same thing, so I wasn't surprised.

"Apparently, he told her he was going to Miami indefinitely because his presence was putting her in danger. He told her he was leaving and even though he did it to keep her safe, he's abandoned her here and she was really upset about it. I knew she shouldn't be crying so I tried to calm her down. We talked for a bit and then she fell asleep on me. I figured if she'd been awake all morning she probably needed the rest so I haven't moved." I explained.

Bobby raised an eyebrow half way through my explanation and said, "You do realize she can't talk, right?"

"Shut up, man. I know she can't use words, but we have system for figuring stuff out." I told him feeling like idiot for having brought it up.

"What do you do?" Bobby asked taking the chair where I had been sitting. He didn't seem to be joking anymore so I figured I had nothing to lose by answering him.

"I've noticed her face still shows a lot of expressions, especially her eyes. So I hold her hand and I talk and when I say something that is right she'll squeeze my hand. I can see when she's upset or confused by watching her carefully, and if I'm patient enough to keep guessing, she will eventually let me know when I guess right." I told him hoping I wasn't embarrassing myself in the process.

"I know her eyes can pull you in," Bobby confessed looking at Steph instead of me while he spoke. "But I hadn't thought to let her squeeze my hand. If anything I've been keeping my distance to protect her from any germs I might have on me. I guess I'm as guilty as Ranger for trying to protect her, but hurting her in the process." When he said the last sentence his voice got quiet but rough as though he were trying to manage his anger at Ranger like I was.

We were quiet for a while which was fine by me. We'd already said everything that needed to said. Only chicks would feel the need to keep talking to prevent things from getting awkward.

The door opened making me sit a little stiffer as though it was possible for a threat to enter the room and I needed to be ready to protect her while she slept. The doctor noticed the offensive position of Bobby and I and he put his hands up in front of his lap coat. "I'm just here to test her respiratory reflexes to see about getting the tube out today." He said in the hope of calming us both down.

Bobby stood up and began discussing exactly what the doctor planned on doing. I pushed Steph's hair off her face with my hand that had been resting on her shoulder, but it must have tickled because she began to wake up. I dropped her left hand to touch her face so she would remember I was next to her. I didn't want to frighten her, especially not in front of the doctor.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as though she were smiling at me. I'm not sure what happened. I felt like I'd just finished a long hard op and come out victorious and unscathed. A simple smile from this small woman made me feel something I couldn't identify, but I knew I needed to put some distance between us or I might be tempted to try and feel it again.

The doctor came over and explained that the respirator was already on its lowest level which meant that Steph was already doing most of the work to breathe on her own. He wanted to shut it off briefly and see if she could continue to pull in enough air without assistance. If her oxygen levels didn't drop much during the test then he would pull out the tube and we'd go from there.

I began to stand up so that he could take care of her without me interfering, but Stephanie grabbed my hand with both of hers and grimaced slightly when she pulled her right hand over her ribs. I knew they were still tender so I took her left hand in mine, but lifted her right hand and put it back where it wouldn't press on her wound. "I'll stay if you want me to," I told her looking at her face while I spoke. Her hand tightened and her face relaxed a little, but I could tell she was nervous.

"It's alright, you don't need to be nervous," I told her in spite of the strange looks I was getting from Bobby.

When I glanced at Bobby he was watching Steph carefully, then he lifted his chin slightly in my direction. I got the message, that he saw what I did and he appreciated me trying to keep her calm. At least now maybe he wouldn't think I was crazy.

The doctor reached over and pushed a button on her the respirator stopping the whishing noise in the background. Then he unhooked the flexible tubing that was attached to the guard in her mouth. "Just keep breathing normally, Ms. Plum." The doctor instructed her. I watched her eyes narrow a little and tried not to laugh. I must not have been successful because her eyes cut to me.

"I can help you with that," I said to her before looking at the doctor and saying, "She prefers to be called Steph, or Stephanie, but not Ms. Plum." I was feeling very pleased with myself when her expression relaxed, telling me that I'd understood her brief temper flare up perfectly.

The doctor continued to alternate between monitoring her oxygen level and his watch. Despite my training to remain calm in any circumstance I could feel my own heart rate increasing in response to hers going up, and the longer the silence stretched, the more concerned I became.

It wasn't until I looked at Brown and saw his face beginning to show the signs of a smile that I began to hope that she was holding her own. Finally, the doctor decided to let us in on what he and Bobby knew by saying, "It looks like you are able to do this without so much help, so if you'd like me to, I'll take that tube out, Ms. Plum."

"Doctor," I tried to let my tone warn him about not using the name she preferred.

"Ah…Stephanie." He corrected. I smiled when I saw the amusement reflected in her eyes. Damn, there went that feeling in my chest again. I needed to see her through this procedure and then get the hell out of her room. Maybe I could talk my new partner into sparing some this afternoon. Binkie was a talented fighter and since he had a few years advantage in energy it might be a good way to get my head back on straight.

"Now, I'm going to count to three and then I will pull this tube out. I need you to blow out at the same time. It will probably feel like I'm yanking your lungs out too, but I promise you this isn't actually damaging anything. The problem is that you are going to want to talk and at least for a few more days, that isn't advisable. The bullet did some damage to your windpipe and your trachea and it hasn't healed yet, so if you try to talk you may slow down or prevent the healing from happening. We can give you some medication to prevent you from talking but it's a muscle relaxant which I would prefer to avoid because you will need all your muscle control to assist with breathing while your damaged lung heals. Do you think you can hold off on talking?" He questioned as though he were asking her give up something simple, like eating asparagus.

Brown and I both chuckled because we knew how much Steph loved to talk. She slowly nodded her head yes while focusing her patented Burg glare on both of us. I wanted to make amends so I said, "When I come back tomorrow I'll bring you a tablet and some pens so you can at least write some things if you need to tell us something." She seemed please at my suggestion.

The doctor took her temporary distraction as a good time to take the tube out. He counted to three and pulled leaving Steph wheezing slightly and coughing very softly wrinkling her face as though she were in extreme pain. The doctor put his stethoscope on her chest to listen to her lungs and Bobby got closer to begin talking to her, "It's alright Steph, just try and control your breathing, the burning will stop in a few minutes."

I rubbed her back with my right hand desperate to help soothe her. I was afraid if she couldn't stop coughing and take a normal breath he would have to put her back on the ventilator. Steph put her left hand on my leg groping around in search of my hand which I had pulled back when the doctor got closer. "I'm right here," I told her in her ear and took her hand in mine. She squeezed tightly and kept a firm grip on me while she continued the struggle to regain her control. Slowly I could tell the coughing was dying away and the wheezing got softer before stopping altogether. I thought her breathing was shallow, but the doctor and Bobby both seemed to think she was doing okay so I deferred to their expert opinions.

As she relaxed a little, I saw her eyes dancing back and forth between the doctor and Bobby's expression trying to read what she saw. I was clueless what they were staring at too so I asked for her, "What are you doing?" my voice sounded slightly more irritated than I intended it to, but I realized they were being rude and it was upsetting Stephanie.

She rubbed her thumb across my knuckles but didn't relax her grip any. I would never admit it, but she was pretty strong, and the pressure on my fingers was getting uncomfortable.

"Her oxygen level went down slightly when she stopped coughing and wheezing and we're waiting to see if it goes back up or not." Bobby explained.

"If it doesn't, will you have to put the tube back in?" I asked realizing that was her concern too when she somehow found the strength to squeeze my hand even tighter. I needed to help her relax or I was going to embarrass myself by having to ask her to loosen up in front of our company medic. I needed my trigger finger to remain unharmed, even if it was on my secondary hand.

The doctor answered this time, "No, at this level we can just supplement her with an oxygen mask and she should be fine. Of course, we'll continue to monitor it. I won't say there is no chance of the ventilator needing to be used again, but I believe she is past needing it now."

That did the trick and she relaxed. "Thank you," I whispered in her ear.

She looked back at me with a confused expression. "You have strong hands and your grip was starting to cut off the circulation to my fingers," I admitted quietly as the doctor and Bobby conferred as though we were not in the room.

She gave me a repentant look which told me she must have been able to talk herself out of any trouble with her dad when she was a kid. There is no way a man could stay mad at her with a face like that. I softly ran my knuckles over her cheek and said, "No worries, I just thought you should know how strong you really are."

Finally with the tube out and the guard off her face she could smile including her lips. I had forgotten how her face could light up. There was no denying she still wasn't herself, but the smile I got was enough to remind me I needed to get out while I still could.

"Well, it looks like you are in good hands. I'll be back tomorrow and we'll spend a few hours together." I promised her. "Can you try to rest a little?" I asked.

She nodded her head yes, but her eyes turned slightly grey again. Would it have killed the army to have included one training class on female emotions? They seemed to train me for everything else I needed in life, but this area of my education was completed neglected and I hated how powerless it made me feel.

I leaned closer and put my cheek on her cheek to speak softly in her ear. "I know you feel like you've been deserted, but you aren't alone Stephanie. Bobby is here, I'm here, hell all of the guys would drop anything to come running if you need us. Ranger will come around. In the meantime, you need to focus on your job. Right now all your energy needs to be put into getting better. I miss hearing your voice, so I need you to work on resting so that you can get your vocal chords back."

I leaned back and saw a little hope in her eyes. "Of course I think you've been communicating just fine." I told her with a wink.

She picked up her left hand and put it on my chest before looking back into my eyes. I could feel my heart rate increase under her touch and tried to smile as I stood up to leave. I had to get out of the room before I said or did something stupid.

"See you tomorrow," I told her once I gotten to my feet.

"Brown," I said with a nod as I practically ran for the door.

Hal saw me and walked away. This was my kind of communication. He didn't need to say anything or acknowledge me in any way, so he didn't. The silence of the guys was a sudden comfort.

Binkie kept turning his head and looking at me every five minutes. I tried to ignore it, but after what I'd just been through I was feeling edgy so I snapped and said, "What?"

"I just wondered how she was doing. You were in there a long time after the doctor went in and I was curious if everything was alright." Binkie explained.

I had to remind myself he was young and I had answered all his other questions on previous days which probably gave him the impression I didn't mind talking. "They took her off the ventilator and she's breathing on her own." I gave him the shortest version possible.

"That's a good thing, right?" He asked still not grasping the concept of keeping his emotions out of his voice.

"For now it is. Taking the tube out was hard on her and she struggled to catch her breath. Her oxygen level isn't as high as they want it so she may need a mask, but they seemed confident that she wouldn't need to go back on the machine." I told him.

"I'll bet she was glad to hear that. I can't imagine Steph being happy with a tube down her throat keeping her from talking." He admitted making me grimace. Apparently, I needed to have that blank face discussion with myself too.

"What is it?" He asked seeing the change in my expression.

"She still can't talk." I told him softly, careful that no one could overhear. "The bullet damaged her windpipe and her voice box so they don't want her trying to use her voice again for at least a few more days because she might do permanent damage while it's healing." I explained.

"Shit, that doesn't sound good." He said somberly.

"No," I admitted my fear aloud. "No it doesn't."

The kid was smart enough to let the rest of our shift pass in silence.

When we got back to Haywood he asked if there was anything else we needed to do today. I shook my head no and he began to walk away. Then I realized I needed to work off some pent up frustration and remembered my idea of sparring with Binkie.

"Wait up!" I called out to him causing him to turn around quickly.

"I need to spend some time in the ring," I told him. "Any chance you're up to a work out with me?"

His next expression I understood completely. "Yea, I think I can handle that."

Fifteen minutes later, we were in shorts circling each other in the gym. It turns out the kid is a good fighter and I had to stay sharp to keep him from knocking me down. Okay, to keep him from knocking me down anymore than he did. Perhaps I had underestimated his skills. Forty-five minutes later I was getting tired and I figured I'd burned off the aggression from earlier so it was time to stop.

I held up my hand and straightened up making Binkie smile. "What's the matter old man, you getting tired?"

I began to walk past him until the full arrogance of his statement hit me. I couldn't resist sweeping his legs out from under him and pinning him to the mat. My move was completely unexpected so I subdued him easily giving me the chance to respond, "I'm never too tired to whip your ass, kid."

I jumped up and got out of the ring before he had a chance to retaliate. The truth is I was tired and he didn't appear to be, which bugged me. There was only nine years difference in our ages, but at thirty-four I guess I had a reason to wear down before the guy stretching out beside me.

"I was thinking of grabbing some dinner at the deli you mentioned to Cal yesterday. I thought I'd see what the waitresses were like. You want to join me?" He asked not holding my underhanded move against me.

I was going to say no. I'd had enough conversation for one day, but something it the back of my mind told me to do it. Hell, if nothing else it would probably give me something to talk to Stephanie about tomorrow. She'd appreciate me watching over him so I nodded and told him, "I'll meet you in the garage in half an hour."

First I'm admitting to Brown that I can read emotions on a girl's face and now I'm volunteering for dinner with a guy that likes to talk. What the hell is wrong with me? And, how can I fix it before I embarrass myself again?


	4. Speaking Up

_None of the characters belong to me. JE gets all the credit for creating such rich personalities for me to play with. _

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) thanks for squeezing your Beta work in between all your other commitments. I can't imagine posting without your careful eye reviewing it first._

**Chapter 4 – Speaking Up**

I'd eaten at The Corner Dinner at least once a week for the last year. Despite Ella keeping food in the break room for us, I liked to get out somewhere for a change of scenery. I knew the staff here recognized me, but I made it a policy to not engage in any type of chatter with them. They brought the food, I paid my bill, left a tip and our interaction was complete as far as I was concerned.

Going with Binkie was an entirely different experience than I was used to. If I thought he liked to talk on surveillance shifts, that was nothing compared to the way he acted in a more relaxed setting. It was like eating with a male version of Stephanie, only not nearly as good looking.

The waitress pointed us to a corner booth and I quickly took the side allowing me to see the door. Binkie didn't seem to notice and put his back to the entrance as though it didn't bother him in the least. Who had trained this kid?

When she returned with the menus Binkie sat his aside and started talking to her asking what was good. Before I knew it, he had gotten that her name was Alyssa and she was getting her master's degree, waiting tables on the side to pay the bills her scholarships didn't cover. She only had one semester left, and she only ate burgers and dessert here so she couldn't personally vouch for much except that she'd not gotten any complaints on anything from the other customers so he should be safe with just about anything he ordered.

Binkie had gotten more information out of her in five minutes than I had picked up eavesdropping over the last year. I assumed it was his innocent face that made her open up so quickly. It would be tempting to lump him in as a womanizer like Santos, but he wasn't flattering his way into her good graces, she seemed to trust him on some level enough to answer his questions, volunteering a little more information than he asked about each time.

Luckily, the flirting going on between the two caused her to spend a little extra time at out table meaning the food came quicker, my glass was constantly refilled and I didn't have to talk much. All in all, the evening couldn't have gone better for me.

Just before we left I decided to try and be helpful in order to have something to report to Steph tomorrow. "Are you going to get her phone number or are you just going to keep coming back for burgers on a regular basis until she slips it to you on the bill?"

Binkie looked away as though I had embarrassed him. For once it wasn't my intention so I felt like I should say something to let him know that, but I had no clue what to say. Finally he said, "I think I'll come in a few more times before I ask for her number. If I do it now, it will seem like I'm just trying to pick her up, but if she sees me a few more times she might trust that I'd really like a date. It's not a loss of nerve, it just seems like the more gentlemanly route, you know?"

Crap, how did I answer that? I could go with the honest approach and say, 'no, I have no clue what you're talking about. She's no damsel and you're no knight.' That seemed a little rough, but I didn't want to lie to him either. I finally said, "You've got to play it however you're comfortable, man."

That seemed to pacify him enough to look at me. When we started for the door to leave, Alyssa called out to us, "I hope you'll be back soon." It seemed like a friendly goodbye to a potential new customer, but I saw the way she was staring at Binkie and I knew he could have a date with her any time he wanted it.

The next day I was irritated from the moment I woke up. I had tossed and turned all night constantly going back to the look on Stephanie's face when she was trying to tell me how Ranger had upset her by leaving town and telling her he wasn't coming back because he believed he was protecting her. How did he expect her to react to that? I finally decided to bite the bullet and talk to Tank. Maybe she had misunderstood him. If Ranger was going to work from Miami indefinitely Tank would know as the second in command.

I knocked on his door and waited to hear his gruff "Enter!" before walking in.

Tank just looked at me waiting for me to explain the reason for my unexpected visit in his office. "Is Ranger is Miami indefinitely?"

Tank raised an eyebrow at me which I assumed to mean 'why do you ask?'

"Yesterday at the hospital Steph was really upset because Ranger had been to see her and she thought he told her that he was leaving town to live in Miami because he wanted to get away from her to keep her safe. I wanted to be able to set her straight today if she misunderstood him in anyway." I explained.

Tank rubbed his hand over the skin on top of his head before trying to answer my question. "He called me last night from Miami and told me he was going to stay there for a while, a few months maybe up to a year. He thought he could be more helpful from down there, but he said nothing about why."

"So she was right? He really left her here alone?" I pressed, completely at a loss as to why he would do that after making it clear to us for so long that she was his woman. Maybe we misunderstood what he meant by that.

"That depends," Tank said interrupting my mental wanderings.

"On what?" I was lost as to what he meant.

"Are you still going to stand by her?" He questioned.

"Of course," I said sounding insulted that he even had to ask.

"I am too, Bobby hasn't been back to Haywood in a couple of days, and Les was there all night too. I think it's safe to say she isn't alone," He corrected me firmly.

"But, it also seems safe to assume that he's left. In his mind this is the best way he can care for her. He knows we'll protect her, and he doesn't have to worry about his enemies using her against him." Tank explained. I had heard him call Ranger on this at the hospital so I knew down deep he didn't agree, but Tank was the perfect second in command and he would follow the leader anywhere even when it didn't make sense.

I knew there was nothing else to say so I stood up and walked out feeling that burn return from yesterday that made me want to beat the shit out of something. I changed and went to the gym for a while, but it wasn't until I got the range and went through firing all my guns that I began to get control over myself again. I wasn't used to this urge to fight without a clear cut target. I needed to get a handle on this before I snapped.

I swung by Binkie's desk so we could ride to the hospital together. "None of the guys have said anything about the waitress from last night," He commented as I slid behind the driver's seat.

"Why would they?" I asked confused.

"Didn't you say anything to them about me not getting her number?" He pressed.

Maybe we had picked on him a little too much if he was this used to be the brunt of our jokes. "Man, I didn't say anything to the guys. First of all, I'm not really the office gossip; we've got Santos for that. And more importantly, if you're going to be my partner for a while you've got to learn to trust me to watch your back. Ratting you out to the guys doesn't really get that point across."

There was silence as he absorbed what I said. "Thanks," He finally added as we parked near St. Francis' entrance.

I stopped by the gift shop on my way in to grab a notebook and pen for Steph like I had promised. I decided to get her something that would close completely, like a diary, in case she wanted to keep people from looking at her thoughts. She might not care about it, but I know I'd want a way to stop everybody from reading what I'd written.

When I walked in her room carrying the bag from downstairs, I saw Bobby sitting in the chair next to her bed holding her hand. I felt a pain in my chest seeing him touching her and watching her smile for him like she had for me yesterday. I tried to play it cool and scratch my chest when I realized what ever had struck me watching them had caused my hand to come up to my upper body as thought the pain was real.

"Brown," I said with a tip of my head. Bobby stood up and told Steph he'd see her again in a few hours before leaving, I hoped, to chat up the nurses he seemed to know so well. I stepped over to the sink to wash my hands in order to be closer to her.

"How are you doing?" I asked taking my seat beside her and smiling when she reached out for my hand. She squeezed it and gave me a smile which effectively got rid of whatever I felt when I saw her and Brown together.

She seemed better today. It looked like someone had helped her brush her hair and she was in a RangeMan t-shirt instead of a hospital gown so I assumed she'd had some sort of help with a shower or bath. She still had an unbelievable number of wires on her, including the nasal tubes pushing oxygen in her nose and a feeding tube, but she was sitting up a few degrees shy of all the way, and her eyes had a hint of sparkle to them.

I was overwhelmed with relief and had to look away to process it, which must have made me pause a little too long because she took her hand from mine and used her fingers to tip my chin up to look at her again. She was clearly confused by my silence and in my attempt to assure her I was alright I inadvertently said, "Everything is fine, I was just trying to get my self together. It's good to see you looking better today."

Then she gave me her full smile which was almost blinding. I hadn't realized how much she'd been holding back before. Even like this, weak and fragile in a hospital setting with no make-up or fancy clothes, she was a beautiful woman. She had no idea how beautiful.

In an attempt to keep from opening up too much I remembered the bag and held it out to her. She pulled out the book and pen like she was unwrapping Santa's gifts on Christmas morning. I felt the need to keep the mood light so I jumped in telling her about going to the diner last night with Binkie. She squeezed my hand when I gave her his explanation for wanting to wait to get her number and I realized she approved. I'd try to remember to pass that message along. I figured he appreciate knowing that.

I also told her what Binkie had said to me on the drive over and my explanation for keeping my mouth shut. She used her thumb to rub over my knuckles and I knew she was pleased with what I'd said. It seemed like she was proud of what I was doing and despite it being against my nature I craved more of her approval. I had a feeling I'd been eating a lot more meals at The Corner Diner.

I told her about the morning briefing including the report from Vince on Lopez. Last night, we noticed some mid size delivery trucks coming to the warehouse he controls on May Street right off of Stark. If he were storing weapons that would be a likely spot to keep them, and the arrival of the trucks made us wonder if he'd gotten the call to move them to the waterfront soon. We were going to be stepping up our surveillance at night for the next few days. Since the supplier still hadn't been identified we hoped to be able to get some information on who was supporting Lopez quickly, so that we can end this before more guns were delivered to Trenton.

We spent the next hour and half chatting in our normal way completely forgetting the paper and pen. When Bobby came back he saw the pad on her lap and said, "Hey, I'll bet that makes communicating a lot easier." Steph shrugged her shoulders and I told him, "We didn't use it. I forgot about it while I was catching her up on all the news."

Bobby looked confused which made me struggle briefly to keep a grip on my blank face. He may have been trying to talk with her when I got here, but he clearly didn't know how to read her like I did. I decided to take a page from Binkie's book and see how it worked when I asked her in a gentlemanly way, "Can I ask Bobby to let me know what the doctor's have said about you?"

Her eyes softened and she squeezed my hand and nodded slowly. Apparently being spoken to instead of spoken of was a big deal for her. I'd have to tuck that away for later.

Bobby was looking at me like I'd grown a second head, but he snapped out of quick enough when he began talking. "Her oxygen level dropped during the night when she was sleeping so they put the nasal jets on to bring it back up to an acceptable level. The doctor said the incision from the surgery is healing and her ribs are on track, but they are going to take a while to completely heal."

I rubbed my thumb over her hand when he said that. I'd been through broken ribs, and they were a pain for more than a month. Unfortunately, she would just have to deal with it; there was nothing they could do to rush that part of the healing.

"They're going to do an ultrasound in the morning to check on her trachea. Getting the ventilator out will help things to heal faster, so we'll see what that shows tomorrow. And, I think later this afternoon a respiratory therapist will be stopping by to help her strengthen her ability to breathe." He finished explaining.

I looked at Stephanie, careful not to exclude her from a discussion of her own health. "That sounds good doesn't it?"

She shrugged again, but the look in her eye told me she was glad to hear about the possibility of beginning therapy. I decided to take a chance on my guess of her expression and said, "You're not fooling me, I know you're happy about that because it gets you one step closer to going home."

She squeezed my hand telling me I was right, but then just as suddenly her face changed and the hint of relief that had been there was replaced by something – fear perhaps. Steph hated hospitals, why would she be afraid of going home? I stepped out on a limb instead and asked, "Are you worried about where you'll go when you leave the hospital?"

She nodded her head yes and Bobby jumped in. "Bomber, I had assumed when you were discharged you would come back to Haywood and stay in one of the vacant apartments on four. You're still going to need some care, and you'll need some help getting to the therapy appointments for a while until your lung capacity builds up. If you'd rather go to your parent's house or somewhere else we'll arrange for that, but I hope you'll consider coming back with us. It's where you belong."

This time I squeezed her hand to show that I agreed with Bobby. She looked down so I decided to take a page from her book and I reached out to lift her chin. When she looked at me I gave her a tentative smile and reiterated what Bobby had said, "It's where you belong."

She squeezed my hand that time so I told Bobby, "She'll think about it, but she's leaning towards accepting your offer to go to RangeMan to stay."

"Man, the ESP between you two is off the charts," He commented making her smile at me again one more time, bringing back that warm feeling in my chest. Apparently she liked the idea of having silent communication with someone. I had to admit I loved the idea that I was the person she was opening up to.

I finished my shift with Binkie and when we walked back to the truck I told him that Steph approved of his approach with Alyssa. He looked at me like I was crazy. "I thought you said she couldn't talk."

"I said she couldn't talk, I didn't say she couldn't communicate." I corrected him. I didn't feel the need to elaborate on how I knew.

That night, we pulled our shift on monitors with relatively little talking which was a relief. Just as Woody and Caesar came to relieve us an alarm went off at one of the warehouses we secured. I told them that Binkie and I would respond and we'd radio in if we needed back up once we got there.

We stopped by four to pick up our vests and our additional weapons before heading out. When I saw Binkie step out of the stairwell he had a blank face firmly in place. There was hope for him yet.

We got to the warehouse and saw that two windows on the ground level were broken and some lights were on inside. There were no vehicles other than ours which made me wonder if the party responsible was still in there. I radioed in that we were going in to check everything out since it was obviously not a false alarm. It was suspicious though, because it didn't seem like whoever was there could steal anything without a get away vehicle.

I told Binkie to stay close to me, not wanting to insult him by telling him to stay behind me. I was impressed when I saw the service piece he pulled out as his go-to weapon was the same thing I carried. It was a custom Glock 9mm with a slightly shortened barrel, and an extra long clip to hold additional rounds. I nodded to his gun to give him my approval. Damn, there went the blank face I thought he had such great control over.

"Focus," I told him pointing back to the warehouse and was pleased to see his smile fade quickly. We entered through the side entrance instead of going in the way the burglars had. When we got in and listened I could hear nothing, but we went through the exterior halls securing all the closets and bathrooms along the way. We worked our way to the back which is where the door lead to the large storage room and where I knew all hell could easily break loose.

I pointed at the door and held up three fingers indicating we would go in at the count of three. Then I pointed to him and to the east side of the facility and then indicated I would cover the western side. He nodded his understanding as I began the three, two, one before I opened the door with my hand not wanting to make a big noise if the element of surprise could be helpful to us.

We walked in and realized quickly that no one was there. The lights were on and the room was empty except for an open box sitting the middle. We made our way cautiously to the container and I looked inside just in time to hear Binkie practically scream, "Damn it!"

The box was full of pictures of Stephanie, mostly from the newspaper but a few from other sources. In the bottom of the box was a sheet of plain white paper that had the words, "I'd hate to have to send you another message," Printed on it.

I turned away from the box and Binkie to call it in to RangeMan. At the moment I couldn't keep my own blank face on and I didn't want him to see the panic there.

Santos and Tank arrived in less than ten minutes and had similar comments to Binkie's when they looked in the box. They brought a crime scene kit, but the box and every single picture was clean. There were no finger prints anywhere which meant we had nothing to go off of.

Suddenly I remembered my instruction from Ranger and I asked Tank, "Does this mean I get to visit Lopez now?" I was itching for a fight, any fight, and even though my gut told me he hadn't done this, I still wanted someone to pay for threatening her.

Santos spoke up, "I can drive Ram over and Tank can take Binkie back to RangeMan."

Binkie didn't know what we were talking about but he was no fool. "No way man, if this has anything to do with making someone pay for Steph, then I want in."

Tank rubbed his head again giving us his typical thinking pose. I could see it in his eyes the moment he made a decision. "We'll all go." He announced making Les start bouncing on the balls of his feet. "But you can't kill him, just send him a message this time and we'll see if knows anything about who would have sent the warning."

I was disappointed that I couldn't kill him, but still Tank didn't say where I had to shoot him, so it gave me something to think about on the drive over. We parked on Second Street again as we had the other night and found the camera still pointed down. Really? Why even bother having it.

We made our way silently through the building with Les replacing Ranger next to Tank and Binkie mirroring me to the left. The guards had learned nothing from our previous visit so I felt no remorse in whipping them again with the handle of my gun. I had reloaded my dart gun and got the guard at the front door on my first shot. It was like getting to play with my favorite new toy every time I shot that thing.

When we met at the front door Tank didn't bother to count down, he just kicked open the newly replaced door and I took out both the guards in front of his desk with shots to their trigger arms. Once again the punks he had working for him knew better than to try and fight us.

"I told Mr. Manoso everything I had to say the last time you were here," Lopez said addressing Tank.

"Apparently you missed something because I remember you being warned about what would happen if another threat was made to our employee in the hospital." Tank said with his voice low enough that he sounded like James Earl Jones.

"I heard him, and nobody from here has touched her," Lopez said beginning to show signs of nervousness.

"I didn't say you touched her, I said someone threatened her. There was a package dropped off at our client's warehouse tonight that warned us not to make you have to send another message." Tank explained waiting to see how he would respond.

"I told you I didn't do it," Lopez quickly defended. Perhaps a little too quickly.

Tank must have thought the same thing I did as he stepped aside and looked at me. "I think it's time we remind Mr. Lopez of Ranger's instructions."

I knew that was my cue to shoot him, but I decided to have a little fun first. I raised my left hand which was still holding the dart gun, then holding his eyes with mine I raised my 9 mm and lowered my left arm and let a wicked smile cross my face. Lopez began to stutter and plead for us to leave him alone and he would try to find out who sent the message.

I looked up at Tank for confirmation of what I should do, "You can shoot him, but don't hurt him so much that he can't get some answers for us."

I nodded and then pulled the trigger giving him and in and out flesh wound in his left bicep. Lester went over and pulled the slug from the wall to erase any evidence of our presence.

"The next time we come back I won't tell him where to aim. You better contact me with some answers before he decides to go off on his own." Tank warned him.

Leaving Lopez screaming at his desk we went out the front door and went back to the cars to drive to Haywood. I called Bobby on his cell to tell him what had happened.

"Shit man, I miss all the good stuff," He replied when I finished briefing him. "Thanks for letting me know, I'll keep a closer eye on things here, but it sounds like more of a scare tactic than anything else."

I had to agree with him, but I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about it at the same time. I'd feel a lot better when she was released to come back to Haywood. It was time to bring our girl back home.

When we got back to Haywood Tank and Les went upstairs quickly leaving me with Binkie in the parking lot. I could tell he wanted to ask a question so I looked at him and waited for him to spit it out. This time he surprised me, "I liked that op a lot better than the routine rounding up of skips. Any chance I can pull the trigger next time?"

He was trying to make a joke and be sure I knew he wanted to be in on any action that concerned keeping Stephanie safe. Even though he had shown that he could handle himself in a high stress situation I wasn't ready to start praising him. Instead I smiled and said, "No way man, pulling the trigger is my job, but if you keep your head down maybe Tank will let you kick in the door."

He laughed and said, "I'll take what I can get."

"Then in that case, how about you take care of the paperwork on the break in?" I suggested and smirked as the smile disappeared off his face.

"That's just wrong," He replied but I knew he would do it. I looked at my watch and saw it was 2200 hours so I suggested if he would type up the detail, I'll fill out the standard response form and we could file it in half the time which would give us a little time to spar to get rid of the adrenaline from tonight.

My plan worked and the report was filed in record time giving me the chance to face off with him again in the gym. Binkie was on top of his form tonight and getting him down was harder, but not impossible. In the end I felt good that I had definitely come out on top, but I couldn't help but resent that fact that I was breathing heavier and stretching more and he was still bouncing around when we were done.

We took the stairs up to our apartments and Binkie gave me one final question for the night, "Ram, if I promise to wash my hands and be careful, would you deliver a note to Stephanie tomorrow for me?" What are we in third grade? Can't he pass it to her himself without the teacher catching him? Maybe I was being too harsh on him. I figured Steph would like it if I promised I would. So I nodded my consent.

I couldn't admit it to anyone, but the kid was definitely growing on me.

When Tank told the staff about the box and our run in with Lopez last night there were a lot of growls and words I hadn't heard since I was still in the active service. Nobody was happy to hear that Steph had been threatened again. Tank put a third team on surveillance for today and tonight. We're going to have one group at the warehouse, one at the dock, and one on Lopez himself. He wanted any detail, no matter how small to be called in immediately.

By the time the meeting was over and Binkie and I had picked up our skip for the day, it was time to head over the hospital. When we got to Steph's room the look on Hal's face told me something was wrong before I was close enough to hear the voices from inside.

Just as we got to the door I could make out Mrs. Plum's voice berating her daughter for getting into another fine mess. "Do you honestly expect that we'll just drop everything and sit at your bedside to wait on you to get better? How could you let something like this happen? You knew we were away for the first time in years and as soon as we get back you have to drop this on us? Why me?"

I'd heard more than enough and apparently so had Binkie as he seemed to think he was going to follow me in. I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him and shook my head no. This wasn't his fight and Stephanie didn't need to know she had an audience for this humiliation.

Realizing I wasn't going to let him go in he held out an envelope instead which I took and nodded that I would give it to her.

I popped my neck by stretching it to both sides before going in ready for another fight. As the door opened I got to hear Ms. Plum ask, "And why do you just sit there not talking? I'm asking you perfectly legitimate questions and you have nothing to say."

That was the final straw, I had intended to be quiet, but she snapped something in me with the last question. "She's not talking because a bullet sliced through her voice box and she can't talk at all right now. If she tries to use her vocal chords she'll risk doing permanent damage and she might not be able to talk ever again." I said in a firm voice making Ms. Plum jump and nearly drop the plate with slices of cake on it.

Who ever had briefed her on her daughter's condition had either done a shitty job or Ms. Plum had blocked them out. Not only did she not realize Steph couldn't talk, but she seemed to think Steph could eat, which as far as I knew the feeding tube and IV was still taking care of for her. I could see the moisture pooling in Steph's eyes which is all it took for me to insist that Mrs. Plum leave. "I'll be sure to have our company medic call you with all the details regarding Steph's condition, but for right now we are enforcing a short visit policy in order to be sure she gets the rest she needs. I'm sure once you've gotten all the details of her condition and can respond appropriately that Stephanie will be more than glad to see you again."

I pushed against the hydraulic mechanism on the door to close it quickly after she walked out. Then I rushed through washing my hands in order to get where I wanted to be. I didn't bother with the chair and just perched on the edge of the bed to bring her against my side. She turned her head slightly to my shoulder and let her tears fall silently. Crying of any sort was hard for me to stomach, but seeing Steph suffer in silence was heartbreaking.

I held her for a few minutes and was surprised when Bobby walked in after only fifteen minutes. Bobby took one look at Steph and asked, "What happened?"

"Ms. Plum was here yelling at Stephanie for not answering her questions. I rushed her out the door telling her you would call with all the details of Steph's injury and she took the cake she made with her." I figured Bobby could pick up on the implied message, 'Steph's mom was being a complete bitch, did you not tell her what happened or was she just ignoring you?'

"I tried to tell her what happened but she cut me off and told me she was coming right over to take care of Steph. She seemed friendly enough when she got here so I left them alone for a little while." He explained. "I'm so sorry Steph," He apologized for leaving her alone with her mother who was known for her bellyaching.

Steph nodded her head and I said, "It's okay man. Everybody knows how she can be and if she didn't feel like listening to you, no amount of talking would have convinced her to pay attention." Steph nodded more emphatically at my words so I placed a kiss on her hair and then wondered if that was a mistake. A lot of the guys kissed her on the top of her head, the forehead, and the cheeks, so this wasn't out of line, at least not in appearance. But I couldn't fight the nagging feeling that it was somehow different.

Despite Bobby's apology and my attempt to comfort her, I could feel her breath beginning to hitch. I sat up a little and Bobby noticed, asking what was wrong. I looked at her for a minute and saw she was pulling hard to get a full breath. "Something's not right with her breathing," I said watching her closer.

Bobby jumped up and looked at her oxygen level. "She's not getting enough air," he commented before increasing the air flow in her nasal tubes. "Come on Bomber, calm down and try to focus on taking shorter breaths."

She was trying, but after a few seconds she opened her mouth and sat up from her position against my side. The struggle was getting harder and her eyes were beginning to show panic. Even in someone who is trained, the sensation of choking is a hard thing to relax into and Steph was fighting it with every breath.

Bobby hit the call button and told the nurse to bring Steph a treatment because she wasn't getting enough air. He pushed the nasal tubes to 100% oxygen and increased the flow to the highest setting possible. "Try to inhale through your nose and let it out through your mouth, Steph."

I grabbed her left hand in mine and put my other hand behind her head stroking her neck with my thumb. She looked at me and I saw the edges of her lips were beginning to show a hint of blue. She was definitely not getting enough air. "You can do it, Steph just slow down and draw the breath though your nose." I encouraged.

She focused on me and I could see in her eyes the determination to follow our instructions. By the time the nurse came in holding a machine with a mask attached to the end of a long tube, Steph's oxygen level was beginning to rise and she was still trying to relax and breathe calmly even though her body wanted to shut down. I could see her fighting and told her, "I'm so proud of you, Steph, you're doing it. Keep fighting."

Eventually she began to get on top of her body's reflex to take short gasps and she was drawing deep long breaths. Bobby took a step back and informed the nurse that Steph had gotten it under control on her own. She left without comment taking the Stone Age looking machine with her. I looked at Bobby, but he was focused on Steph so a description of what that was would have to wait.

"Are you getting there?" Bobby asked her and Steph nodded yes in response but she continued to stare at me.

"Has this happened before?" I asked her but Bobby answered instead. "A couple of times, but this is the first one she's been able to handle on her own."

"What was the machine?" I asked unable to stop myself.

"It's a breathing treatment that pushes pure oxygen mixed with a steroid mist that opens the airways making it easier to take a deep breath. It usually only takes a few minutes for the medicine to kick in and she can get control. Of course, it's better for her to learn to do it without the steroid, we don't want to over use it." He explained and I realized we were doing it again – talking about Steph instead of to her.

I decided to confess my realization in the hope of lightening the mood, "We're doing it again aren't we? We're talking about you while you're right in front of us."

She gave me a faint smile and lightened her grip on my hand. I couldn't help but notice that she looked exhausted. "You've had a busy day so far, huh?"

She nodded, pulling me closer to her so she could resume her leaning into my shoulder. I was more than happy to oblige. "I'm here," I assured her. "I'm right here." It only took her a few minutes to relax and she drifted off to sleep with a firm grip on my hand.

"Thanks for helping her with that," Bobby said when he noticed she was sleeping. "Something about having you here seemed to help her. It started off much worse than the others, but she was able to pull through it for the first time."

"I didn't do anything," I admitted wishing I had.

"Doesn't matter, something about having you around is helping her. I think it's because she feels like you can read her and you would be able to tell us if it was getting worse instead of better." He offered as explanation.

"Why don't you get some rest man," I suggested. "She'll probably sleep for a while and you look like shit."

"Thanks for that." Bobby said electing not to be offended by my truthful description. "If you're sure you've got her, I'd like to go back to Haywood for a few hours. I'll see if Tank can send someone else over to replace Hal, and maybe you can spend you're shift in here. I could be back by 1600 hours."

"I'm okay with that," I replied grateful for the extra time with her against my side.

Bobby left and I spent the majority of my time just watching her sleep pleased to watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The guys used to say that Ranger would sneak into Steph's apartment in the middle of night before he would leave on missions, but he'd only stay a few minutes. Not long enough to get to the good stuff; we all wondered what he did there. Sitting here with her, I felt a feeling a peace wash over me, I imagined that he probably snuck in to watch her sleep, to get a glimpse of why he put himself through the horrors he faced on his missions. The innocence on her face would be enough to motivate him to come back home. I had judged him for leaving her and upsetting her in the process, but I also had an understanding of why he did it. If he thought his presence might take away this innocence then I could understand why he felt that he had no other choice.

Shit, now I didn't have the anger at Ranger to carry around anymore. I couldn't judge him for doing what he was convinced was the best thing to protect Steph. And I benefitted from it; it gave me the opportunity to hold her in my arms. I certainly couldn't be mad at him for giving me the chance to watch her sleep.

I relaxed and let my head rest on the back on the bed, but sleep did not come. I went in my zone and just allowed myself to enjoy a rare and simple pleasure; the feel of a wonderful woman in my arms for as long as it would last.


	5. Rounding Up the Bad Guys

_None of the characters are mine, I'm borrowing them from JE, but I'm not planning on giving them back._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) you must be the most patient Beta out there. Thank you for your gentle corrections and suggestions to make this story come alive._

**Chapter 5 – Rounding up the Bad Guys**

I woke up to my alarm which was strange. Typically my internal clock would wake me up before the alarm had a chance to. I hit the snooze, something I rarely did and laid in my bed for an additional seven minutes of shut eye. I was relaxed and felt well rested which was odd in the middle of an agency crisis like we have now with an arms dealer moving into Trenton. Then I remembered holding Stephanie yesterday at the hospital and smiled at the memory.

Yesterday, Bobby came back to Haywood to shower and sleep and was late getting back, so it was dinner time before he returned. I didn't mind the inconvenience in the least as it gave me more time to watch Steph sleep. She woke up slowly and when she saw I was still holding her she gave me another of her dazzling smiles and a gentle squeeze to my hand. I shifted a little to get my right arm off her shoulder in the hopes of getting the feeling back in it as it had long past gone to sleep from lack of movement. I remembered Binkie's letter, which I gave to her with an explanation that I promised to deliver it.

She rubbed my knuckles briefly before holding out her hand for the envelope. Then she looked back and forth between the envelope and me and I took a random guess at what she was thinking. "It's okay to read it now. I won't look and that way if you want me to pass along a message to him I'll be glad to deliver it. I was going to move to the chair beside her, but when I began to move she grabbed my arm to stop me and shook her head no. Apparently she wanted me close to her which fit with my own wants perfectly.

I rested my head back to give her privacy to read her letter, but found my curiosity peaked when she squeezed my hand and then let go to lay her fingers on top of my arm and lazily ran them up and down. I felt a layer of goosebumps rise to the surface of my skin as the lightness of her touch began to tickle. Shit, since when did bad asses get goosebumps?

She folded up her letter and I heard her take a slow deep breath. Remembering the episode from earlier I picked my head up immediately to watch her for any sign that she was upset. I thought I could remember what to do while I was waiting on the nurse if I needed to, but I hated the idea of her being upset and having to go through that again so soon. Binkie might have youth on his side, but if he had upset her with his letter I was sure my experience would allow me to teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

When I looked at her she seemed fine, but I was still cautious. Steph picked her hand up and gently rubbed my cheek causing me to clinch my jaw in response. I wasn't used to being handled so tenderly and I didn't know how to respond. "Did the letter upset you?" I asked unsure of why she was treating me this way.

She indicated that it had not, which confused me even more. "Did he mention me?" I wondered. She nodded that he had. "I'm trying, really I am. I'm just not used to watching out for somebody, so I may not be doing it as well as you have." I began my defense unsure of what he had said to unsettle her. She shook her head no and began to smile before unfolding the letter and pointing a specific place for me to read.

"Are you sure?" I asked not wanting to invade her privacy. She shook the letter which I took to mean I should get on with it.

I didn't know what came before the part she was pointing to but at the bottom of the second page he had written, "I have a feeling you have something to do with Ram suddenly being nice to me. I should be offended at being thought of as a charity case, but it was nice to be one of the guys, even for a little while." When I got to the bottom of the page I understood why she was being so caring with me. She was trying to thank me for standing by Binkie like I promised.

"I told you I would, and I'll never lie to you." I pledged again. I guess now I'm stuck with a young shadow. "But, I'll admit, he's a bit of a talker, and I'm not, so I don't always know how to relate to him."

She looked confused at my confession so I explained. "I've been talking to you, but that's different. Around the guys, I don't say much; whereas, Binkie has no mute button." Her face lit up. I guess she recognized that already. "Don't worry; I won't give up on him."

Then she looked at me with an expression I didn't recognize. "What is it?" I asked as her eyes narrowed. "Is it about Binkie?" That question got me a nod yes. "I promised not to give up on him." I defended, but she seemed to want more than the same promise. I thought about for it a few minutes trying to come up with what she would want from me other than to look out for him. Then I realized the comment might have sounded like I wanted him to change so tried that option, "And I won't try to change him too much." The last two words got me what we refer to as her rhino face and I was a little slow in controlling my smile. "I'm training him to make him better at his job, but I won't try to change who he is." I clarified which seemed to appease her.

I'd served for years in the military as well as at RangeMan and I understood the concept of trusting someone to have your back, but until I met Stephanie Plum, I had no idea what loyalty was really all about. In her eyes Binkie was fine just the way he was and no amount of talking from me would convince her otherwise.

The blaring sound of the alarm buzzing again snapped me from my memory of yesterday and wiped the stupid smile off my face. I was going to make it my goal to talk with Tank today and get the toughest, meanest skip RangeMan had to go after. I needed something that could end with fists being used or if it was a really good day, maybe bullets flying. Enough of the smiling and gushy shit - I needed a man's day.

The morning meeting didn't produce much other than the Miami office, under Ranger's leading, had narrowed the arm's dealer down to two possibilities and until they had more information there was nothing for us to do except continue to keep guards on Stephanie and the surveillance on Lopez and his operations. At the close of the meeting Tank asked me and Binkie to run by Vinnie's to pick up any files they had for RangeMan. Apparently Connie called and said there were quite a few. I put in a word for a good one and Tank looked at me for a minute before saying, "Flip through them and pick out what you want, but come back here and check in with me before going off looking for a fight."

My blank face was there, but inside I was pumping my fist in the air. That's right; my testosterone is right where it needs to be today. No more smiling, it's time to kick some ass.

I stopped by to get Binkie and we rode towards Vinnie's. Three blocks away Binkie said, "Do you want to stop by the Tasty Pastry and get some doughnuts for the girls?" I took a deep breath and said, "Since when is RangeMan a pastry delivery service?"

"Steph always take them, I thought it might be a nice touch." He said defending his suggestion.

I pulled in the parking lot of Steph's favorite bakery and into a space by the door before saying, "I'll stop and I'll wait, but I'm not going in and ordering something with sprinkles on top."

Binkie shook his head and mumbled something under his breath that included the word insecure before getting out and jogging in. He came back out with a white bag and a smile. Geez, this kid would never learn.

When we walked in we were greeted with the sight of Connie using the fan on the back of her computer to dry the polish on her nails and Lula was working on putting files in the bottom drawer of a cabinet. At least that's what I'm telling myself she was doing. It was hard to tell after being hit with the blinding image of yellow spandex stretched to its maximum width and jiggling to the beat of whatever she was listening to through her earphones.

"Ladies," I said as a greeting causing Lula to jump up and spin around. The movement scared me briefly that the top have of her spandex wouldn't be able to accommodate the movement and I looked away in case something split or spilled out of her low cut neckline. There are some images even a good PTSD counselor can't help you get out of your subconscious and I didn't want that burned on my brain permanently.

Binkie seemed oblivious, and held up the bag his hand. "We came for the RangeMan files, but we brought you a little something for your trouble."

"Now see, that's what I'm talking about, a man who realizes you can catch more flies with honey. Connie, you give him the files and I'll take that bag over here where I'm doing my filing." Lula said practically snatching the bag from Binkie's grip.

Connie handed me the files and then yelled at Lula to not to eat them all. I took their distraction as our cue to leave in order to avoid having to answer any questions. Hopefully it would work like throwing a bone to a dog to sneak past them.

I flipped through the files before pulling out of the bond's office parking lot and saw exactly what I wanted. The sheet on Joseph Federone showed an assault charge for a 45 year old male accused of shooting at a police officer with a shotgun and taking out his cruiser in the process. The gun was unregistered and he didn't have a permit to own it which were minor charges added after he resisted arrest. According to the photo and description he was over six feet, and 230 pounds. This seemed like a possibility to have someone that might want to resist being brought in and the cops wouldn't care if he got a few bumps and bruises along the way since he had shot at one their own.

Unfortunately by the time we got back to Haywood and I checked in with Tank, it was too close to our shift at the hospital to go after him now. Binkie suggested lunch at the diner so I went along to kill time until 1:00.

We walked in and the bell above the door announced our presence. Alyssa came over as soon as she finished giving someone their change and told us she was glad we came back. I didn't take offense at the fact that even though she used the plural in everything she said, she never once looked at me and kept her eyes on Binkie instead. This time, by the time she finished taking our order Binkie discovered that she was an A student, which wasn't a big shock if she had most of her tuition covered with scholarships, and that she had two older brothers who liked to watch out for her which she thought was irritating but I liked the sound of. I was the younger of two boys and my one brother was just enough older than me to not care one way or the other about what happened to me unless it directly affected him. Things were different now, but when we were younger, it would have been nice to know that he had my back.

Despite the lunch crowd Alyssa kept coming back to our table often enough that I didn't have to talk much. When we finished and stood to leave, Binkie waved and told her that we'd be back in a few days. She gave him a big smile before saying, "I'll be on the dinner shift for the rest of the week." The kid had her hooked and didn't even realize it.

When we parked at the hospital I picked up the file on the skip that we were going after and brought it in with me. Steph was always good at picking up on things, and since the address for his home was in the Burg, she might have some details that would make his capture easier. Not that I wanted it to be too easy, but I didn't like the idea of being greeted with a spray of shot gun pellets either.

She was sitting up, but had an oxygen mask over her face and her eyes were closed when I walked in. If anything, she looked worse than yesterday which made my heart sink to my stomach before the door closed. Bobby stood up and came closer to give me an update. "She had her first real workout with the respiratory therapist this morning and it didn't go well. Her lung function isn't improving much which means simple things like walking across the room leaves her short of breath and if she pushes too much she has attacks like what you saw yesterday. It's the first time I had to sit on my hand to keep from punching someone just for doing their job. I could see the effect it was having on her…" Bobby didn't finish his sentence, he didn't need to. I knew how hard it would be for me to watch her suffer even if I knew it was for her own good.

"You think it will get better?" I asked barely above a whisper.

Bobby nodded, "Yea, the therapist said she should be able to get back to normal, but it could take a few months if she sticks to their program which includes exercises to build up her endurance." He said the part about exercise with a grimace. As much as we all liked to kid Steph about running with us, we knew she hated it and if the therapist had to make her exercise for her to get better it could be a long road to a complete recovery.

"You okay with another long shift in the room?" He asked as I dried my hands.

"No worries," I said casually. "Think she'll keep sleeping?"

"Probably, she deserves to and it would be good if she did." He replied, grabbing his backpack and heading to the door.

I didn't want to wake her so I brought the file over and sat in the chair next to her bed and began to flip through it. The case seemed pretty cut and dry, but it was still a good idea to have a complete picture of the guy we would go after when we left the hospital. Just as I finished reading the police report I felt that I was being watched. I looked up and saw the most piercing blue eyes staring back at me. I gave her a smile and held up the folder, "I didn't mean to wake you. I was trying to read quietly."

She shook her head no and made a dismissive gesture as though I didn't wake her. Then she got that look in her eye that I often saw in the office when she was about to begin digging into something. I couldn't resist offering the file to her and saying, "This is the skip Binkie and I are going after today. He's from the Burg, do you want to take a look?"

She sat up a little more and tried to take the mask off her face, but I took her hand in mine to stop her. "How about you leave it on while you read? I know you had a rocky morning and the oxygen might be helpful." She looked like she wanted to argue that point, but I still had the file in my other hand and her curiosity over what I was holding won out.

I sat back in the chair and handed over the file and noticed from the moment she opened it that she knew the skip. She looked at the file briefly, rolled her eyes and then looked at me intensely.

"You know this guy, don't you?" I asked and she gave me a nod yes, but I could tell that isn't what she wanted to say.

"Do you think we'll have any problems if we go in the usual way?" I wondered and she gave an emphatic show of her yes. "What can we do?" I asked causing her to point at the notebook I purchased the other day.

I handed it to her and watched, fascinated as she began to scribble madly on the paper, stopping only twice to push her wild curls out of her face. This was the first time I had seen much energy in her eyes since she was hurt and I loved being able to watch her.

Finally she stopped writing and held out her tablet for me. I realized she had scripted what we should do as I read her take on the skip.

"First, he didn't do it. I know they all say it, but in this case he really didn't. Joey lives with his mother who is a crazy old bat and from time to time she slips off her medication and gets mean. He's been getting pressured by his younger siblings to have her locked up, but his mom doesn't want to live in a nursing home so he's trying to keep her at home. She shot the cruiser because she thought they were there to take her off somewhere. Joey ran upstairs and took the gun from her hands and then ran back down where the cops were, still holding the gun, so they assumed he did it. He tried to explain what really happened but the cop was upset about his car and wouldn't listen, so he was charged with resisting arrest too."

I looked up at her and asked, "Why didn't Joey tell this to the police after he was booked?" She rolled her eyes as though I was obviously too thick to understand human nature and then impatiently pointed back down at the tablet.

"He can't rat out his mother because she would be arrested and he can't let her go to jail because she was off her meds and unstable at the time."

I looked up sheepishly. "Sorry, I should have kept reading." She smiled and then pointed for me to keep going.

"The only way you will get him to go with you is to talk to him nicely and explain that you know he didn't do it and that he was just protecting his mother. Call Connie ahead of time and have her meet you there to rebond him right away so his mother doesn't have to be unsupervised longer than necessary, and he will probably go with you. If you bang on the door and start yelling 'Bond Enforcement' his mom might grab the gun again."

Damn, there went my plan for a great action adventure take down. "I don't think I can do this. I'm not exactly a people person," I confessed to her.

She snatched the paper from my hand and wrote in all capital letters, "BINKIE CAN!"

I laughed when I read her advice. I nodded, "I've seen him in action at the diner and I think you're right." I was disappointed and thought I was hiding it well, but she took the paper and again and added, "He'll be disappointed that he can't go in guns a blazing too, but somebody could be hurt in this case."

I smiled at her when I realized that she was as good at reading me as I was at listening to her.

She pointed to the stand beside her bed and I saw a deck of cards sitting here. "Do you want to play?" I asked glad that she felt up to doing something. We spent the next two hours playing gin rummy after she shot down my offer of strip poker with one of her trademark glares.

Bobby came in just as she won a round and had her arms in the air in victory. He looked shocked and asked, "Why is it every time I leave you with this joker I come back to see you doing better?" She smiled at us both and shrugged her shoulders as though she had no idea what he was talking about.

He walked over and took the mask off of her face and said, "You're levels are good so let's try without this for a while." As Bobby hung it over the control on the wall Stephanie stuck her tongue out at me as an 'I told you' gesture. I put my hands up in surrender, "Hey, don't get testy with me, I'm not a medical professional and nobody told me that you could take it off."

She let me off the hook with a smile and reached out for my hand which I was more than happy to give. "I guess I should head out since Brown is here to keep you company now." She squeezed my hand and rubbed her thumb across my knuckles. We'd used the paper to talk most of my time with her today and I realized I'd missed our own private form of communication until now. Her hand was warm and soft and I was reluctant to let go.

We'd been staring at each other silently holding hands for a few minutes and knew I needed to get out before Bobby said something. So I cleared my throat and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Try to give Bobby as much trouble as possible." I smiled at her as we tightened our grip on each other at the same time.

Just before I walked out the door I turned back, "Can I have your advice for the skip?" She furrowed her brow but nodded her head yes and began to tear it out of the book. "I want to be sure Binkie knows what he's getting into and who it is that volunteered him to be the mouthpiece for the operation." I explained. Taking my file and her notes I went out to draft my new partner into service.

Our relief was already in the hall when I stepped out so I took off to the parking lot pleased that Binkie followed without me having to explain what we were doing. When we got in the truck I gave him the file and said, "We're going to pick up Mr. Federone."

Binkie flipped through it quickly and said, "This seems simple enough, do you want to take the front and I'll be at the back in case he runs?"

I nearly laughed but caught myself and pulled out the piece of paper with Steph's comments on it and handed it to him.

Binkie read it over and then laughed. I glanced at him at the stop light and he stopped with the chuckles, but the smile remained. As I pulled away I told him, "I promised her I wouldn't try to change you, but as a general rule, we don't smile that much."

Binkie let out a long breath and then said, "Why not?"

"It gives the impression that you're happy, and some people perceive that as a weakness," I explained.

"Well, at the moment I am happy, and I doubt that you think I'm weak. If we were standing in front of a skip I'm pretty sure I could keep my face blank, but her note is kind of cute." He explained.

"Cute?" I said. "We don't use the word cute." I continued to try and instruct him.

"Why not? How would you describe the fact that she is practically shouting at you that I can do the talking?" He said with a little edge of confidence while pointing to her all caps response when she wrote his name.

I thought about it and even though I agreed with him, I refused to admit it. "I'd describe it as a compliment that she holds your skills in such high esteem." I finally rationalized.

"You can shovel that shit all you want to, I think it's cute." He added as he put the folder down on the dash. "So, I take it you want me to try and sweet talk Federone to come with us to the station?"

"I want you to convince him, but I'll never use the word sweet talk and skip in the same sentence." I replied.

"Fair enough," Binkie said getting out as we stopped in front of his house. We walked to the front door and I motioned that he should take the lead. I did glance at all the upper floor windows and didn't see any sign of his mother. Since we were covered by a roof on the porch I thought we'd be safe for a little while.

Joey answered the door and Binkie smiled at him. Geez, didn't the guy listen to word I just said to him. Then he did something I thought was rather impressive and he came up with a good opening line, "Mr. Federone, Stephanie Plum sent us to talk to you. She was assigned your file as a bond enforcement agent but since she knew you were innocent she wanted us to see if you would consider coming down to the station voluntarily with us to get rebonded so that it could be done quickly and quietly. She was afraid because of her reputation around the Burg if she showed up to bring you in it might be upsetting to your mother and she knew you didn't want another scene."

He was friendly, he seemed sincere, and by the end of his little speech Federone was grabbing his keys off a hook on the wall and asking how long we thought it would take. Apparently he just gave his mother a mild sleeping pill so if we left quietly she would probably nap for a few hours and he could get back without her getting into any trouble.

Steph and Binkie had saved the day. I didn't even bother to cuff him as he opened the door and climbed in the back seat willingly. On the way to the station I called Connie who agreed to send Vinnie right over to rebond him, and then I called the station to see if Eddie or Carl were available since they were from the same neighborhood and might understand the situation better.

When I hung up Joey said, "Thanks for that. I really don't want there to be another scene."

I just nodded. I was officially a softie and hoped Binkie knew to keep his mouth shut about it.

We were in and out of the station in less than ten minutes. Vinnie was waiting and Eddie gave us a receipt quickly so we were on our way. I was glad to have dealt with the file so quickly, but the need I had for a little aggression was still there. Binkie seemed to sense it when we got out of the car and said, "I'll do the form if you do the detail and we can meet on the mats in half an hour."

Now it was time to smile my approval of his suggestion. Unfortunately, the smart ass decided to say, "Be careful, man, people will think you're happy and then they'll think you're weak. You wouldn't want to have that smile caught on camera." I punched him right arm hard enough to make him grunt and replied, "I'm not worried about how the guys see me. I'm pretty sure I could beat that rep."

I ran up the stairs leaving Binkie behind me rubbing his arm and complaining that my hit wasn't necessary.

I had to admit sparring with Binkie was beginning to have an effect on me. Although our skills were pretty evenly matched and our size was very similar I had the edge in experience and his usual edge of youth and endurance wasn't playing in his favor as it had the first few times we met in the gym. Maybe working with the kid would have some benefit for me.

The next morning Tank had a surveillance shift for us on Stark keeping an eye on Lopez. He thought it would be a good idea for us to park right outside of Lopez's office because seeing me armed might serve as a reminder that we were still waiting to hear from him about who left the box of pictures in the warehouse.

I made sure to suit up as fully as possible and suggested Binkie do the same. "You're not really expecting trouble from him in broad daylight are you?" He questioned.

"No, but I think this assignment is more about showing him the trouble he can expect from us and the more firepower we display, the easier that message will be for him to receive." I explained to him.

"I'm good with that," He said grabbing another piece from the safe beneath his desk.

We made it to Stark and Third in record time and after finding a spot literally right in front of his office, I rolled down the windows and shut off the engine. I put a revolver on the dash and leaned back to wait for the next few hours.

After two hours of nothing, a young kid of no more than eighteen walked out of the office and approached the truck. He started to my side, but after looking at us both he changed and went to Binkie instead. I told Binkie he needed to work on his bad ass image.

"Mr. Lopez wants to know if you can come inside." He said softly with his eyes on Binkie's hand which had moved to the Glock at his waist.

I spoke up and said, "No, if Lopez wants to talk to me, he can come out here and I'll meet him on the sidewalk." The kid looked at me like he couldn't believe I was going to make him have to go back in and deliver that message. Maybe if I hadn't heard him screaming like a little girl after shooting him in the arm, I might be able to see why he was afraid of his boss, but that high pitched sound was still in my ears and I couldn't muster up any respect for the guy.

He disappeared in the office and Binkie asked, "Do you think he'll come out?"

"Don't know," I answered honestly. "Don't really care. The fact that he knew we're here means he got the message we were trying to send and that's all that matters."

Half an hour later the door opened again and four guys with pistols in their hands came out surrounding Lopez who exited after them. It was almost funny to see the way they were protecting him like a gang version of secret service agents. Of course I didn't laugh because no matter how much they might look like punks I knew the bullets in those guns were real and I couldn't afford to piss them off.

I looked at Binkie and wished he could understand that I wanted him to stay behind me and few feet to the side as though he were there to watch my back, but not so blatantly as to give the impression I was worried about the threat from them. I just nodded at him instead and we exited the truck at the same time.

I walked right up to Lopez despite his guards and Binkie stopped about four feet away and stood to the side slightly. It would have been the exact position I would have picked for him. Lopez looked at Binkie, but I didn't bother to glance back. I had a feeling he was giving off the right image at the moment.

When he turned his attention back to me I stood silent. He called the meeting, he could damn sure speak first.

"I have some information for Ranger." He finally said.

"You can give it to me and I will relay it to him," I replied briefly.

"If I give you what I've heard, will you leave? Or is there a message you are here to deliver?" He asked glancing at my right hand which I was slowly opening and closing, flexing my fingers as though they were itching for a reason a grab my gun. Sometimes intimidating people was just too easy.

"That depends upon what you've heard. If you have a name of who delivered the box, then I think I could leave to pass that along. If you are just wasting my time, then I'm going to need to have something to show for my time here and if you're message isn't good enough I'll have to take matters into my own hands for justifying how I spent my morning." I threatened him.

Lopez looked between Binkie and I again before holding out his hand with a torn off strip of paper in it. "Here's all I've got. Ranger will know what it means." He said nervously.

I took the paper from him, but didn't look at it before saying, "For your sake I hope so, or I'll be back."

Then I stood there waiting for him to go back in. There was no way I was going to back up away from him like I was afraid to turn my back, and yet I didn't trust the young guys with guns not to accidentally shoot me if I wasn't watching their every move.

Eventually Lopez realized I wasn't going to walk away so he turned around and went back inside followed by his security detail. Once the door closed I walked over to the truck and looked at his note.

"Is it what you wanted to know?" Binkie asked showing his impatience once again.

"I have no idea," I confessed before reading it to him, "He sent his sister to put it there to let you know that you were getting too close again. You should come back home."

"So Ranger is on to something in Miami?" Binkie asked.

"It sounds like it," I confirmed. "But since we've been trying to track two leads, it seems like we only need to figure out which one has a sister in the Trenton area to narrow it down." I told him starting the car and pulling away to pass along the Intel.

"What about the rest of the shift?" He asked as we left almost forty-five minutes early. I pointed at a beat up looking pick-up on the right and he saw Cal and Hector sitting there when we drove by.

"So we really were there just to deliver a message." Binkie said more to himself than me.

I didn't need to reply, but I figured it would be the nice thing to do, and I had promised to be good to him while we were working together. "That's right," I started, "And you did good back there. You were off to the side, still a threat, but you gave the distance between us to show we weren't worried about the presence of his guards. I didn't want to tell you want to do, but that is what I was hoping for."

"I've told you guys I can do this job. I may be a few years younger, but I'm not a newbie to the idea of watching someone's back." He stated without sounding overly defensive.

"I'm beginning to see that," I admitted deciding to go with the truth and letting him draw his own conclusion.

Back at Haywood Tank was pleased with the message." I'll pass this along to Ranger, but I think you're right, if they can find the connection through a sister then we'll have the guy we're looking for."

"Do you think he's setting us up?" I wondered.

"Always a possibility, but we'll let Ranger make that call based on what he's learned down there." Tank replied.

"Is he alright?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Tank looked at me as though he were trying to figure out what I was really asking then he answered, "He's not little Miss Sunshine, but he's getting the job done." I nodded that I understood and walked out with Binkie right behind me.

I went to my desk, but Binkie followed me and leaned against the cubicle wall to ask, "What was that about Ranger? Why wouldn't he be alright? And, who's 'Little Miss Sunshine'?"

I glanced at the clock and told him I'd explain it all on the way to the hospital. He seemed good with that. We each grabbed lunch from Ella's supply in the break room and headed back down. I wrestled with what to tell Binkie. I didn't like airing Steph's business, but somehow I didn't think that she would mind. When she came home from the hospital I knew we'd set up a rotation to stay with her, and I could see Binkie taking some shifts because everybody knew how much she liked him.

I decided to trust him and tell him what Ranger had done and why. Of course, Binkie's first reaction was to swear at Ranger and threaten to hurt him whenever he dared to show his face here again. I understood that completely. I knew I'd never be able to make him understand it from Ranger's point of view and I wasn't going to tell him how I'd begun to understand it in part myself. I decided to just say, "We'll never understand completely why he left her like that, but right now it's our job to keep her safe, and get her back to Haywood. You aren't supposed to know this so you can't just go around threatening to hurt your boss. You need to file this away and wait and see what happens next. This might turn out to be good for her in the end."

What was I, Dr. Phil? How in the hell would this be good for her? And what was I telling him to wait and see for? What did I think was going to happen?

Still, it almost seemed like what I said made a difference because Binkie said, "All I know is that if word gets out that the boss isn't considering her his woman anymore the guys are going to be all over her. I think you're right that we'll need to keep an eye out for that, so that no body tries to force their way into the place Ranger just left. She's not ready for that."

I turned off the truck, but I didn't get out right away. The truth of what he said sunk in. Steph wasn't ready to develop feelings for someone. And more importantly, the guys will be practically elbowing each other out of the way for a chance with her. I wasn't sure which truth upset me more. The probability that she wasn't interested in having any of us now that Ranger had hurt her, or the possibility that someone else might capture her affection and there would be no place for me. And why did both options make me want to forget the rest of my lunch?


	6. The Power of a Milkshake

_Thanks to JE for creating such great characters for me to play with._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) you are a jewel of a beta. Thank you for all the time you spend shining the rough work I send you._

**Chapter 6 – The Power of a Milkshake**

Stephanie and Bobby were sitting side by side on her narrow bed watching the Ranger's play on the television. I could tell Bobby was trying not to yell at the game because I'd seen him watch hockey before and he was never this quiet. I assumed he was being good because Steph couldn't yell at them either. Amazing the lengths we were all going to for her. It drove Binkie's words home to me that other guys may want to get closer to her and I felt a sudden urge to knock Brown off his perch beside her, but put my hands in my pockets instead.

Bobby slowly got off the bed and came over to me. "It looks like as long as she has a good afternoon, the doctor is willing to let her go home tomorrow. They took the feeding tube out last night and she's managed to swallow ice chips and drink a little too, so today we've been experimenting with some soft foods until we're sure the damage in her throat won't create too much of a choking risk." I tried not to laugh at the face Steph made at the soft foods comment. "I've got to get some equipment set up in an apartment on four so I'll be out for a while. You good here?" He asked.

I was more than happy to stay with her for some extra time, especially since it also meant Brown wouldn't be near here. Shit, I needed to get a grip on that. He was a top notch medic and would need to be around her a lot when she got back to Haywood. I had no reason to feel like this. I wasn't even sure what this was…jealousy? This is why I don't do relationships. I can't walk around feeling like I want to punch the guys I work with. It flies in the face of the whole 'work as a team' thing Ranger is so big on.

I walked over to the bed and picked up her hand. That probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do if I wanted to get a handle on this mysterious feeling. But at the moment with her soft skin against mine and the shining smile she was giving me I didn't feel a trace of the jealousy I had earlier. I was warm and happy. Damn, there's a smile on my face too. Thank God, Binkie wasn't allowed in the room, he'd lever let me live this down.

"Do you want to finish watching the game?" I asked her and she shook her head no. I sat down beside her, but I was facing her so that I could see her face. "What do you want to do?" I wondered hoping she had a suggestion. She raised both her eyebrows in a way that I thought was cute. Maybe Binkie was right and there were some times when only the word cute would work. That tidbit would have to go in my file of things I'd never admit aloud.

"Do you want to talk?" I said without thinking, but her hand tightened around mine telling me yes was the answer. I sat there for a minute not sure what she wanted to talk about. Finally she took me out of my misery and took her tablet and wrote, "Tell me about you," and handed it to me.

"What do you want to know?" I asked knowing my life wasn't that interesting. She answered with another note. "I don't care; just tell me something about you. I want to think about something besides me."

I took a deep breath. I didn't like talking about myself, but if it's what she wanted I'd gladly try to oblige. "I grew up in Ohio, in a suburb of Dayton called Centerville. My mom and dad were both school teachers." I blurted out and waited to see if this is what she was after. She gave me a smile and then gestured with her hand that I should continue.

"You know I'm not good at talking about myself, right?" I tried to warn her, but she just smiled and then touched my face gently to reassure me. "I have one brother. His name is Peter and he's six years older than me." When I looked at her she had a strange look on her face and I was clueless what it meant so I asked her.

She took her paper and wrote, "How difficult was your delivery when you were born?"

I didn't understand the question so I answered it honestly, "As far as I know it was uncomplicated, why?"

"Your parents gave your brother the name Peter, but they named you Ram? It's not exactly a normal name. Were they punishing you for something?" I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but her eyes did have a certain twinkle I hadn't seen before.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. She smiled at my response, but continued to watch me. Apparently she was still waiting on my answer. "Obviously I haven't done a very good job at letting you know much about me." I began. "My real name is Edmund. When I went in the military my drill sergeant started calling me Ram as a shorted version of my last name, Ramsey, and it stuck."

She thought on that for a few seconds and then had another question for me. "There's Peter and Edmund, do you have any sisters?"

"No why?" I replied wondering where she was going with this.

"I remember reading The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe as a little girl and the four kids were Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy. I was curious if you had the other two in your family." She explained on her tablet.

I chuckled at her answer. The way her mind was constantly putting clues together was amazing. "My mom taught literature so it's possible that was her plan. I never asked where our names came from. Now that you mention it, I may have to call them and ask."

Her eyes dropped to my belt and stayed there making me wonder if something was wrong with my pants. "What?" I finally asked picking up my arm to look myself.

She pointed at my phone with her finger and then smiled. She wanted me to call them now apparently. I looked at my watch and it was only 1:30. "I can't call now," I said grateful for the excuse. "It's during the school day – they won't be home."

She rolled her eyes and wrote, "Tell me tomorrow." I laughed and took her tablet and tore off the page. Her eyes narrowed like she was angry, but I could see the playful spark there and knew she wasn't really building up any steam. "I need this as a reminder to call them so I don't forget." I explained earning me a grin.

We were quiet for a minute prompting her to write, "MORE!" on a fresh sheet of paper.

"No reason to yell," I laughed when it seemed she enjoyed my response.

"I joined the Army after high school, finished basic and then went to sniper school. After that I worked my way into the Rangers and did my advanced training with a tough as nails instructor." I smiled at the detail I was about to share. "He was a big guy that put the fear of God into the whole unit. He had a deep voice and could yell across a football field clear as a bell. But from the first day I respected him and knew he could teach me a lot of things I didn't know so I listened and worked hard and by the time training was done I was glad to have my instructor that we all called Tank ask me to serve on a special mission with him."

Her eyes got huge at the mention of Tank's name. "Yes, it's the same one you know. He told me his CO had been called into service for a rescue mission and he needed a sniper for his team. Tank was impressed with my progress and thought I'd be a good asset to the team. I figured it would be a good opportunity since I had a lot of respect for Tank and he said the guy leading the mission was as good as they came."

I could picture how nervous I was the day I reported for duty. "Ranger was the CO Tank was referring to and it only took five minutes after I met him to realize the intensity he hid behind wasn't an act, he was really that brilliant at planning and strategizing. He gave enough details to keep everyone sharp, but no more than what we absolutely needed to know. That first mission included Ranger with Tank as his second in command. I also met a cocky guy named Santos who I figured was just some punk based on how he acted while we prepping for the mission, but as soon as we boarded the plane he changed completely and became all business. As soon as we heard the first bullet fly past us I saw Les was a hell of fighter and never doubted his ability again."

I saw her eyes were completely focused on me and I wanted to keep talking just because it seemed to please her so much. "Do you want to know how I met Bobby?" I asked and smiled at her quick nod yes.

"It was about a year after I first served under Ranger. He didn't use the same team on every mission, but I got a call that he had specifically requested me for his next one and I was more than glad to follow him to Columbia so I signed up. I was given a target to eliminate and flew over to join the team that was already in place. I knew Ranger, Tank and Santos from before. There were a couple of new guys but there wasn't time for introductions before it seemed that our position had been given away and there were militants coming at us from all sides. We broke up in pairs and spread out making it harder for them to track us all, and thinning them out to so that we could try to turn back and eliminate them." I looked at Steph and her eyes were huge, but she was hanging on every word.

"I had a guy with me I'd never met before. He had a mouth like a sailor and the strangest tattoo, but he knew which end of the Beretta he was holding to shoot from and that's all I needed to know at the time. We eliminated the guys that were following us and began to head east to try and rejoin the others. We found Tank and Ranger hunkered down in a gun battle and when we fired at their assailants our position was given away and they turned on us. We took them out, but I took one in the shoulder first." Steph's eyes were full of concern and she lifted her hand to my left shoulder as though she were trying to ease the pain that was once there.

"It's okay," I assured her before continuing. "It hurt, but I knew it wasn't life threatening yet. We needed to catch up with the rest of the team before nightfall so we quietly made our way to where Bobby and Lester were a mile or so east of us. Bobby took one look at the blood on my fatigues and he pointed to a tree for me to sit against. I didn't realize he was a medic but I knew someone needed to get the bullet out so I needed to man up and let him do it. "He cut part of my shirt with his pocket knife, then pulled a syringe out of a pocket in his vest and stabbed it in my shoulder. I could tell from the burn it was Novocain to numb it a little." She picked up my hand and gripped it tight as though she were afraid of how detailed I was going to get.

"He pulled a small scalpel from his backpack and got the bullet out easily and then began to stitch me back up. The wind began to blow as if a storm was coming in and the brush around us began to sway. It had everybody on edge because you couldn't tell if someone was sneaking up on you or if it was just the weather. Something behind Bobby seemed to moving against the wind and I had a feeling it was a person. Since I had all of our team in my line of sight there was a safe bet that whoever was there was bad news, so I lifted my right hand up and around Bobby's shoulder while he was finishing my stitches and shot the bush that was moving." She jumped when I said the last part.

I figured I should finish the story quickly so she wouldn't be worried. "Ranger ran over to the bush and came out with a shit eating grin on his face. I'd never seen the guy smile before so I had no idea why he was doing it now. Honestly, it made me nervous. Bobby was putting a bandage over my shoulder as Ranger said, 'Pack it up boys, we're going home.' Everybody looked at him like he was nuts because we just got there and we hadn't eliminated the target yet. When Les asked that exact question Ranger told him, 'Sure we have, our sniper just took him out hiding in the bushes behind us.'"

She was smiling when she realized I had shot not knowing if anyone were really there, but in fact had hit the person that we were sent there to find. Dumb luck really, but I was still glad to have done it. "Bobby started laughing and when I asked what was so funny he said, 'I thought you were pissed that I'd hurt you with the stitches and when you picked up your gun I wasn't sure what you were doing. I didn't realize you were that good of a sharp shooter.' I never did tell him I was lucky, not good." I admitted to her.

We were both quiet for a few minutes and then I decided to ask her a question. I handed her the tablet resting on the bed and asked, "Why don't you like your gun?"

She blinked a few times as though she was caught off guard by my question. Then she pursed her lips to think for a second before writing, "Because it scares me. I have seen what guns can do, and the few times I've had to use mine have not ended well. I know it has saved my life, but it has also taken someone else's and it's hard for me to live with that."

She really was too pure hearted to be forced to live among us. "What if you were taught how to use it so that you could make it shoot exactly where you wanted it to go? I mean, if you learn to control the adrenaline in a stressful situation and you know that you can hit someone in their wrist or their arm in order to keep them from shooting you, then you could see it as a defensive weapon instead of a tool to kill people with. Would that help you to get more comfortable?"

She wrote, "Yes, but I can't picture myself being that good with a gun. It's too heavy and awkward."

"Maybe we need to get you a different, smaller, lighter gun. I'd love a chance to teach you a few of my skills if you'd let me." I told her. "It might be fun." I tried to convince her.

She tilted her head to the side and shrugged her shoulders. "Does that mean you'll think about it?" I asked and she squeezed my hand. I'd take that as a yes and once she was up to it, I planned on holding her to it. Something told me she was an excellent shot; she just lacked the confidence to trust herself. If I could teach her about non-lethal force she might be more willing to carry her gun and carry it loaded.

Changing the subject I told her all about Joey from yesterday and how Binkie approached the subject of him coming with us to the police station. She smiled like a proud mother would at hearing the praises of their children. When I finished she almost had a knowing smirk on her face so I decided to address that and said, "Yea, yea I know. He did great. I let him know he was really shaping up. He called your note 'cute' by the way."

She wrote the word, "Cute?"

"That's what he said. I tried to tell him we didn't use the word cute, but he seemed to think it was appropriate anyway." She shrugged with no further comment about that, but she did fix me with a pretty intense stare. "Don't fuss at me, I'm still watching out for him and I promise I'm not trying to change him." I quickly added.

"Are you excited about coming back to Haywood for a while?" I asked her hoping for a change of subject.

She lifted her thumb and forefinger close together. "A little?" I tried interpreting getting a nod yes in response.

"More of the guys will be able to see you so you won't get so tired of seeing the same rotation of faces." I tried to point out a possible factor in favor of coming home. Her face fell marginally. "Of course, I'll miss having so much time with you by myself." She squeezed my hand and I swear I felt my heart get bigger in my chest. Was that possible, could hearts grow? That would have to go on my list of questions that I would never ask aloud.

All too soon Bobby returned and I had to say goodbye to Steph. "Hopefully the next time I see you will be at the office," I told her.

Bobby pulled me to the side to ask, "Is there anyway you can come over tomorrow if I call you and be in the car when we drive her home?"

"Sure, anything you need," I told him happy he asked. "Why?" I wondered why he needed me as I had no medical background.

"She seems to be more relaxed around you and even though I've gotten better, I still need her to write things down to understand what she's thinking. If she starts to have trouble catching her breath I figured she'd feel better if you were nearby to let us know." He explained.

"Like I said, anything she needs." I repeated, meaning it. He looked at me for second longer than normal, but before I felt too uncomfortable from it, he nodded and turned his attention back to Steph.

"I saw Tristan in the hall on my way up for your next respiratory therapy appointment." Bobby told her. I saw her cringe and looked to Bobby for an explanation.

He offered, "She doesn't enjoy the therapy. It's hard work." He gave me a short version of a description. She looked at me as he spoke and lifted her shoulders slightly.

I put my index finger under her chin and lifted it slightly so she could look me in the eye. "You can do it. You're the strongest person I know." She rolled her eyes and looked down so I tapped her chin slightly. "I've never lied to you," I reminded her.

In order to get her mind off the impending doom I asked, "Any message for Binkie?"

She looked at me and smiled with her eyes warm and all trace of fear gone. "I'll tell him," I told her giving her cause to grab the hand that was under her chin. The door swung open and I spun around without surrendering her hand. Her grip almost doubled so I assumed this was the dreaded therapist Tristan. He seemed like a nice enough guy at first glance especially after Bobby gave him a fist bump indicating they knew each other. The Sempra Fi tattooed on his forearm helped. Marines were a tough group. If he said it was possible for Steph to get better, then I figured he'd see it through to the end.

I bent back over her and whispered, "The strongest person I know. Now give it your best shot and know it will eventually get better. If you try today I'll have an answer for you about my name tomorrow." I bribed her before adding something I knew she couldn't resist, "And if you're stuck on soft food tell Bobby you need a milk shake when Tristan leaves. That's soft right?"

She pulled back and smiled slightly nodding her head that she was willing to accept my challenge. I loved that she trusted me and the innocence in her eyes as she stared at me only strengthened my resolve to stand by her until she was better. Bobby cleared his throat making me jump and giving Steph a reason to smile one of her winning grins. With a quick, "Goodbye," and a nod to Bobby and Tristan I left before I ruined my image again.

While we were walking to the truck I told Binkie, "Stephanie is proud of how you handed our skip yesterday. She knew you could do it and loved it when I told her how simple it was with her advice."

"She's something isn't she?" Binkie commented. I didn't say anything but waited instead for him to continue on his own. "She's in a hospital bed, still unable to take a full breath comfortably and she is worried how we're doing catching skips and wanted to be sure that I knew how she felt about how it went. I'll never understand why she chose to take me under her wing, but I'll always be glad she did."

My first instinct was to say nothing, but I agreed with everything he said so I just said, "How about we go to the diner and I'll treat you to dinner."

"I'll take you up on that offer. And if it goes well, maybe I'll ask for Alyssa's phone number." He said with his eager smile.

I couldn't help but notice Alyssa's smile was nearly as big as his when we walked in. This time I noticed Binkie doing a little more talking. He volunteered that he worked with a security company and told her I was his partner. She didn't spare a glance my way as all her looks were for Binkie only. When she put the check on the table I pulled it toward me to pay for dinner like I promised and couldn't help but smile when I saw her name and phone number written on the bill.

"Binkie, I know I promised to buy your dinner tonight, but I think you need to take it to the cash register tonight." I said slipping the bill across the table with a twenty on top to cover the food.

"Why?" He said taking the items I offered him and looking at them. I waited patiently as he looked it over and finally he noticed the number written under her name. He looked up at me as though he didn't know what to do.

I stood up and told him, "I'm going out to the truck to make a phone call. Take a few minutes to pay the bill and ask her out for Friday night. We have that night off so you can take her to dinner without worrying about being called in."

I might not be an expert in emotions with women, but I could see fear written all over Binkie's face. He didn't blink in front of four armed gun men at Lopez's office, but when faced with asking out a single girl from a diner he was having to dig deep to find the courage.

With that humorous thought I went out to call my folks. After all, a promise is a promise.

"Hey Dad," I said when he answered the phone.

"Ed, wait let me get your mother on the phone. She won't believe you've called." My dad said with a laugh.

"Edmund, is everything alright?" She asked surprised by my call enough to make me feel guilty for not calling more often.

"No mom, everything's fine. I just had a strange question." I explained.

"Oh, what is it?" She asked intrigued by my reason for picking up the phone.

"Where did my name come from? Were you going through a Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe phase when you were picking out names?" I just spit it out hoping she wouldn't press the issue of why I was calling.

Instead of being hit with questions both my parents erupted in laughter. "You called us to ask if we had a CS Lewis fetish when we named you and your brother?"

"I guess I did," I admitted feeling like I was twelve all of a sudden. This is part of why I didn't go home more often. I hated feeling like the young kid that was entertainment for everyone else.

"Well, I guess we did," My mom admitted. "I was convinced I would have daughters before your brother was born and I liked the names Susan and Lucy for the girls, but when Peter came I decided to take his name from the book. Years later when you arrived I knew we wouldn't have any more children so I let go of the idea of my little girls and gave you the name that went with your brother's from the books. As you grew up, the name began to fit you so I didn't worry about where it came from any more and never bothered to tell you." She explained.

Then my dad spoke up, "So what happened to suddenly give you an interest in your namesake?"

I didn't want to lie to my family but I didn't want to tell them about Stephanie because I couldn't find the words to explain what she was to me. A coworker? A friend? Or something else?

I finally gave up and said, "I was talking to someone I work with and when my name came out in connection to my brother's they asked if you were fans of the book."

"Well then you can tell him we were." My mother summed up.

I knew I should correct her assumption it was a guy, but I took the coward's way out and told her I had to go meet my partner. I guess that's what I got for laughing at Binkie's lack of courage for talking to Alyssa. I had a similar issue and this was just my mother.

Binkie got in the truck grinning from ear to ear. "I take it she said yes," I assumed.

"Yep, now all I have to do is figure out where to take her and I've got a date on Friday night." He admitted.

"You managed this one okay so far, I'm sure you'll figure out the logistics just fine too." I encouraged him.

The next morning Bobby sent a text to my phone while I was in the gym saying Stephanie was going to be released at 10:00 and he wanted me to ride with her. I sent a note back confirming that I would be there a little before ten and would see him then.

Tank gave me a couple of files for Binkie and I to follow up on and said we were having a core team meeting tomorrow morning to work up an op to round up the sister of the supplier in Miami. Apparently Ranger and his team down there had discovered who was supplying the arms to Lopez but they couldn't pinpoint his location. They wanted to try putting a little pressure on him through his sister so we needed to get a message to her to deliver to her brother. It seemed risky, but the clock was ticking and we needed to try and flush him out.

Neither of the skips Tank gave me had enough info include to be simple so I left them with Binkie and asked him to run full searches on them and explained where I was going. He wanted to go with me, but I convinced him to stay and keep us caught up by doing the background work on our files. That kid missed seeing Steph and I knew he wanted to talk to her about his date this weekend.

When I got to the hospital Steph was asleep which surprised me. I figured she would be excited about leaving because of how much she hated the hospital. Bobby explained that they had put her through a bunch of tests this morning before allowing her to be released and it was exhausting. He was hoping she would just sleep through the whole transfer process but we both doubted that would happen. As we packed up the few personal things she had in her room a sound came from Stephanie's throat.

Her head was moving from side to side and when her arm flew over her face in a defensive manner I knew she was having a nightmare. Her mouth opened as though she wanted to scream but only low sounds came out. I ran over and pushed her hair away from her face while calling out to her. "Steph, come on, wake up for me. You're okay, it's just Ram and Bobby." I continued to speak softly to her while pulling her arm away from her face and she began to wake up.

Bobby came over and watched me as I tried to keep her from being afraid as she looked disoriented. If the dream was real enough to scare her it was probably hard to get her bearings after I woke her up abruptly. Her eyes opened and focused on me, but I could see her chest rising and falling quickly. She wasn't getting enough air.

"Bobby," I warned. "She's having trouble catching her breath." All the wires and cables had been disconnected so we had no way of confirming that I was right other than the panicked look on her face. She was trying to sit up which would make catching her breath easier. Then I heard the wheezing and knew she was fighting it.

"Come on Steph, you can do this. In through your nose really slowly and then out through your mouth. You can control it." She tried following my advice but put her hand on her side. Taking deep breaths with broken ribs only made them hurt more. "I know it hurts but you can focus on me instead of your ribs and you'll be able to slow down your breathing. You can do it." I tried encouraging her but felt helpless with nothing but my words to offer as assistance.

She grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye as though I were the tool she needed to focus on her breathing. It took a few minutes but she eventually began to even out her breaths and she stopped wincing with every inhale. When she relaxed against the back of the bed and closed her eyes I assumed she felt like she had beaten it. I looked to Bobby for confirmation that everything was alright and he nodded to me.

"You did good Steph," I encouraged her, proud of the fact that she didn't give into the panic. Her eyes opened at the sound of my voice and she whispered very quietly, "Thank you." To hell with a blank face, the shock of hearing her talk even at such a low level was written all over me.

Steph smiled and Bobby laughed before explaining, "They said she can begin to use her voice a little, but her throat will get sore from over use, so she is stuck with a soft voice and can't over do it right now. She can't talk too much. Her chords will get irritated and swell and that'll make taking a deep breath more difficult and until her lungs are back up to par we can't risk anything restricting her breathing."

"Does it hurt to talk?" I asked her.

She shook her head no. I wasn't sure I believed her so I narrowed my eyes at her and she gave me a guilty grin before lifting her fingers to give me the sign for a little. "Thought so," I told her as she amended her original answer.

"How's the food?" I asked her next. She looked at Bobby and then made a gagging face which made us all laugh. "What, he didn't get you a milkshake yesterday?" I teased her and laughed as she stuck her tongue out at Bobby.

He backed up and said, "Look I told you if you did everything Tristan asked without complaining I'd get you one, but you were the one who decided to throw in the towel and complain so you broke the deal, not me." I was glad it was Brown trying to enforce that rule because I would have given her the frozen treat and not thought twice about it.

I leaned down and said, "How about on the way home we try and get him to pull through the drive through at McDonald's and I'll get you one, my treat." Her eyes lit up as though I'd just offered her the world. Some gals needed diamonds and fancy trips to impress them, but my Stephanie could be swayed with ice cream.

My Stephanie? Oh shit! When did she become mine? And was she really? Maybe getting her back to Haywood was for the best so she would be surrounded by the other guys too. If I saw how she treated us all the same then I could get my head back on straight.

Half an hour later I was sitting in the back seat of a RangeMan Explorer with Stephanie tucked next to me with her head on my shoulder. She was happily slipping on a milkshake and would shiver every so often giving me an excuse to pull her closer to absorb the heat from my body.

No, officially she isn't mine, but at this moment as she allowed the occasional quiet moan to escape her lips and as she cuddled up closer to me I allowed myself to dream that she were. We would be a Haywood soon and I would have to share her with all the guys, so for now I decided to take a page from Steph's play book and live in denial land.


	7. Best Laid Plans

_None of the characters belong to me. I'm borrowing from the genius of JE._

_Special thanks to Jenn (perfectmanhattan) for her patience and tireless work as the Beta for this story. You're the best!_

**Chapter 7 – Best Laid Plans**

By lunch time Steph was settled on the couch in the fourth floor apartment that would be hers until she was ready to move out on her own. Bobby was going to stay with her until the evening and he asked if I could crash here during the night until we saw how she was going to do on her own. I made sure to ask Steph if it was alright with her if I commandeered her sofa for the evening and loved her fast response to say yes so completely.

Seeing that I had plenty of time before I was to relieve Bobby, I decided to check in with Binkie and see if he had a plan for either of the files I gave him that morning.

"What's the plan, partner?" I asked with the joking tone apparent in my voice.

"If you let me drive for once then I'll tell you the plan I came up with for both of the files." He teased back.

"Tell me the plan first, and then I'll make a call on the driving." I replied not willing to give up the keys to the SUV I drove yet.

"Mr. Anthony Tubbs was arrested for domestic violence and carrying concealed. He works second shift so if we hurry he should still be at home and we can get him before he leaves for work." Binkie offered.

As we began walking down the stairs I asked, "Address?"

"I thought we discussed me driving," Binkie hinted instead of giving me the address.

"We discussed it, but I never agreed to it," I came back as I slid behind the driver's wheel. "Let's see how your plan works first and then we can talk about you driving."

When I pulled up to the address Binkie gave me I asked, "How do you want to handle it?"

Binkie hesitated for a brief moment and then answered, "Can I take the lead and you cover me?"

I nodded while getting out. I'd be close enough to help him out if things went south, but felt he was more than capable of bringing down Mr. Tubbs.

Three knocks on the door and the skip himself answered the door arrogantly stepping onto the porch to see what we wanted.

"Mr. Tubbs, I am with Vincient Plum Bonds and you've missed your court date. I'm here to escort you to the station to reschedule." He said in a friendly voice. Who taught him how to approach a skip? Stephanie? I mean she may be great at figuring out mysteries, but her method of taking in a skip wasn't the same as ours.

As I was thinking over to how to show him the correct way Mr. Tubbs seemed to be following Binkie from the front porch. Hell, maybe I needed to rethink my approach. Just as I let the thought pass through my head I saw Tubbs' smile change to a sneer. He bent down as though he were getting something from his ankle giving me enough time to yell, "Drop" to Binkie.

As soon as Binkie squatted down I pulled out my Glock and hit Tubbs in the shoulder making him fall backwards from his bent over position. Binkie went over to him and took the knife out of his hand realizing Tubbs had intended to either stab or threaten us with his sharp weapon.

"Thanks," Binkie said tossing the knife aside to roll Tubbs over on his stomach. I called in the blue and whites and heard the familiar siren soon enough. Whenever gun fire was involved in bringing down a skip we preferred to bring the cops in at the scene to keep the record cleaner. It looked like in addition to domestic violence and carrying concealed Mr. Tubbs could now look at assault charges too.

After we gave our statements and took the receipt from Big Dog we made our way back to the truck. Binkie began walking to the passenger side and I asked, "Do you have a plan for the next one?"

He laughed and replied, "Yea, but I'm telling you about it now."

"Tell me while we ride," I instructed climbing in.

He didn't seem too excited about the possibility of another pick up going bust, but he gave me the details anyway. "It's Charles Wilson, accused of robbery at a liquor store. He was drunk and held the clerk up at gun point. This was his second offense in six months. The first time he got off on a technicality."

Binkie gave me the address and when we pulled up to his house, I turned off the truck and we walked up to the porch. I took the lead and Binkie stood to the side out of sight from the front door.

When he opened the door I said, "Mr. Wilson, Bond Enforcement. We're here because you missed your court appearance." He tried to shut the door but I put my foot in the way and shouldered the door open before he had a chance to run away. I swiped his feet out from under him and when he tripped landing on his stomach, I took the opportunity to cuff his hands behind his back before he could react.

As I helped him to his feet he complained, "If you'd just asked nicely I would have gone with you, but you had to come in here like Rambo, trying to embarrass me in front of the neighbors so I had to run." I instructed him to be quiet, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to listen. Apparently embarrassing himself in front of the neighbors was fine, he just didn't want us to do it.

By the time we had him secured in the back seat I was tired of his constant bickering so I 'accidently' hit him with my stun gun. I caught Binkie's eye and he said, "Nice." Somehow I don't think I'll need to worry about him fussing at me for manhandling the skip.

When we were riding back from the station with both our receipts in hand Binkie spoke up, "Something tells me I should have reversed the order of the skips. My approach would have worked with Wilson, and you obviously had the right idea with Tubbs." It didn't sound like he was beating himself up over the way it turned out, but he didn't exactly sound happy either.

I took a few extra turns leaving him completely confused about where we were going, but he had apparently learned enough about riding with me that he didn't ask what I was doing. When I parked in front of the diner where Alyssa worked I said, "You did good with the research and you located the best location for both skips and you assisted in bringing them in. It didn't go according to plan, but it doesn't always go the way you want it to. What counts in the end is that we are alright and the bad guys are back in the system. Now I want to bring Stephanie a milkshake and I thought you might like the chance to go in and see a friendly face and pick one up for me." I hinted.

The smart kid jumped out without another word. Ten minutes later he retuned with the largest milkshake cup I've ever seen. I looked at him with my eyes wide open. "You do realize Stephanie could never drink all that, right?"

"Yea, but I think Alyssa was trying to be nice to me and this is what she handed me when I ordered a small to go and told her I'd had a bit of a rough day." He confessed with a grin.

For once I decided to give him a break and let him be happy. Hell, I may have even smiled a little myself at the thought of Alyssa trying to woo Binkie through his stomach. It wasn't a bad tactic really.

When we got back to Haywood I told Binkie to go up to four and deliver Stephanie's treat and tell her about the day. I tried not to sound like a harping mother when I reminded him to wash his hands and keep his face away from hers. Just because she wasn't in the hospital didn't mean she was out of the woods.

I knew he really wanted to see her, and this way he could go down with a purpose. Plus, I knew how much he liked talking so I figured he would give her a better recap of the day than I would. I went up to five and got the reports filed from our skips and then went to shower and get ready to spend the night with Stephanie.

Two hours later I made my way over to her apartment which was located between mine and Bobby's. I knew Zip had wanted to move out, but I didn't realize he had vacated the apartment yet. Maybe he gave it up for Steph. It wouldn't surprise me. The guy could hardly say more than three words in front of her without turning every possible shade of red. He had no trouble talking up women in bars, but there was something about Stephanie that had that effect on him.

I knocked and waited, but there was no answer. I refused to just let myself in so I knocked again a little harder. This time I was greeted by Binkie who was wiping the tears off his face when he opened the door. Not recognizing his expression my heart sunk to my stomach running through a hundred different possibilities for why Binkie would be crying in Steph's apartment and none of them were good.

Fortunately, none of them were accurate either. He and Stephanie were laughing and had gotten so carried away with their jokes that they had been reduced to tears just as I knocked on the door. I was thrilled to know she was alright, but I felt like I aged a few years in a single moment.

Binkie said goodnight and then stopped as he passed by me near the door and said, "Thanks, man. I appreciate you doing this for me."

"No worries," I assured him. "Like I said, if I'm going to be your partner you have to learn to trust me to have your back."

"Gym tomorrow?" He asked as he opened the door. I looked back at Steph and thought about it. "Yeah, but make it later. Maybe 6:00."

He left without another word. Maybe he didn't have a constant need for conversation after all.

I looked at the cup sitting on Steph's kitchen cabinet and saw the entire milkshake from the dinner was gone. I pointed to the cup when she looked at me and asked, "Did you finish that?"

She blushed a beautiful shade of pink and nodded yes, but her eyes told me there was a little more to the story.

"Spill," I told her calling her on holding back with me.

She swallowed with a little frown, and I stopped her by putting my hand up. "Is your throat sore from talking so much today?"

She reluctantly admitted that it was so I put a kettle on in her kitchen to make some hot tea with honey and lemon. It's what my mother used to make us for sore throats so I went with what I knew.

"Let me guess," I began while it was steeping. "Binkie helped a little."

She smiled and I knew I got it on the first try. "Did you get any?" I asked to be sure. She responded by holding her thumb and forefinger an inch or so apart. "It's better than none, I suppose," I rationalized and she nodded energetically in response.

We talked for a while in our unique way with me doing most of the talking and her prompting me with her facial expressions and hands. But after an hour I could see the exhaustion on her face and suggested she get ready for bed. I had put on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt after my shower so I was ready to crash on her couch.

She went to her room and changed, but about the time I thought she was in bed her door opened again and she walked out in a pair of cotton boxers and a tank top that barely met at the waist giving me a glimpse of her stomach when she reached out her hand for mine.

I was confused at what she wanted so I allowed her to take my hand and pull me up. I silently followed where she led and when we got to her bed she let go of my hand and crawled in before turning over to face me, pulling back the covers further and then patting the mattress next to her indicating she wanted me to lay down there.

"You want me to sleep next to you?" I asked. She eagerly nodded yes so I kicked off my flip flops and climbed in lying on my left side facing her. She mouthed the words, "Thank you," but no sound came out. Then she reached out and shut off the lamp before sliding over and spooning in front of me pressing those thin shorts right into my lap.

I put my right arm around her waist so she would know I liked having her there. I know I was only in her apartment to keep an eye on her through the night in case she had a respiratory episode, but at the moment the last thing I was concerned about was her breathing. I needed to figure out how I would keep from embarrassing myself, especially in the morning, if she kept up those small movements of her hips all through the night. I wouldn't trade this sweetest of tortures for anything. I just hoped she'd still speak to me in the morning.

Fortunately for me, we readjusted our position several times through the night but each time one of us moved she always managed to keep as much contact between us as possible. When I woke up at 5:30 I was on my back and she had her head on my right shoulder and her body pressed against my side. I battled with myself wondering how much time I had before Bobby came in to deliver her morning meds.

Apparently, I misjudged her wake up call as Santos let himself in and was standing in the doorway sporting a huge grin when I opened my eyes. I tried to glare at him, but found I was happy about my current position and struggled to even get my blank face back on. Unfortunately I also knew every guy working here would know I had not slept on the couch but in my quick assessment I couldn't find a down side to that little revelation.

Stephanie must have noticed the tension in my body when I saw Lester as she began to stir. Les was smart enough to duck out of the room and shut the door behind himself. When she looked up at me her face transformed into a happy yet still groggy expression. I whispered, "Good morning," and allowed the sigh she gave me as a greeting in return to wash over me.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked already knowing the answer but was pleased when she nodded yes without picking her head up from my chest. If anything it seemed since waking she had conformed her body even closer to mine.

"As much as I'd love to stay here with you, I think you should know that Lester is in your den and I'd bet Bobby will be here soon." I warned her. This time the sound she made was not a happy one.

"Tired of all the company?" I guessed getting an affirmative nod in return. "What can I do?" I wondered.

"Nothing," Came her small voice in response. "They're trying to help and I need it until I'm back to my old self." With that admission, the longest sentence I'd heard her say since her injury, she began to sit up.

I got out of bed and slipped my shoes back on to walk next door and change for the gym. Just before I began to walk out she called my name and when I turned back to face her she asked, "Will you be back tonight?"

"I'll be back any time you want me," I told her battling with myself to keep the full measure of my excitement off my face. Not allowing myself time to think it through I walked back to the bed and bent over to kiss her on the top of her head. I lingered for a brief second in order to get the full scent of her shampoo and had a peaceful feeling wash over me that only seemed to come from being near Stephanie. "Tonight," I promised and turned to leave her for the day.

Bobby raised his eyebrow at me when I shut her bedroom door and I shrugged my shoulders going for a casual look and hoped he wasn't watching me too closely. "She wanted me in there last night. How could I say no to her when something so little like that would help her relax? She had no trouble through the night though and seemed alright this morning."

"She was alright when I looked in, but did she notice the tent pole in the bed with her?" Lester asked taking a break from throwing cereal in the air and trying to catch it in his mouth.

I wanted to ignore him in a dignified way, but when I passed by I couldn't help but sucker punch him in the shoulder, causing the latest piece of cereal to hit him in the face. "Later, ladies," I said with a smile as I walked out the door.

Binkie was turning into a decent sparring partner. The times we had worked out together, he hadn't used the same approach twice which kept me on my toes. When Erik and I fought, he always began with a right hook and would follow with a left upper cut. I could prepare a strategy for him because I knew his moves better than he did. Binkie, however approached fighting in different way. He was all about surprise. I think the fact that he kept a semi-smile on his face most of the time, was in part a blank face. In his case, it wasn't so much that he was happy, it was just a more natural expression than the blank neutral looks most of us used. Either that or I'd just gotten used to it and could tell he wasn't going to change despite my harping him about it.

We made it to the morning meeting at 9:00 to see what kind of plan Tank needed and what message the team in Miami wanted us to pass along. Tank had a picture up on the screen for us of Maria Alonzo, the sister of Alej Alonzo, who was a famed drug runner in the area. Apparently, Alej was the new gun supplier and the one we needed to reach.

Maria was not clean herself. She's had arrests associated with several break-ins, but she didn't have any known associations with her brother's drugs. She had a house on the edge of downtown and Tank wanted us to keep it under around the clock surveillance until she came home. Then we would pull a team together to enter her home, restrain her and return the box that had pictures of Stephanie glued to it. Hector had been busy gathering pictures of the Alonzo family, primarily Maria, and had attached them on top of Steph's photos. The message we taped to the bottom said, "Leave RangeMan out of this or we'll send a more forceful message of our own."

It was brazen in its threat against Maria, but it might work to make Alej mad enough to slip up and reveal his location in Miami. In the meantime, we had Stephanie safely tucked away in the apartment on four so we could keep her well protected. All of us would need to be on call and ready to roll to her house as soon as the call came in that she was there. Binkie looked at me with a question in his eyes. He hadn't been a part of the original team that went after Lopez and I knew he wondered if he was to be included when Tank mentioned the core team. I nodded that he was. He was my partner and I'd begun to get used to having him around. If I was expected to be there, he was going too.

We each had some routine searches to run as background clearances for clients that paid for our services in this area. It was my least favorite job, but it was something we all had to do so I thought now was as good a time as any to get it over with. My ass was asleep in an hour and I was only half way through my stack. I leaned over to see how Binkie was doing. His stack was considerably smaller which pissed me off, plus he seemed to be doing his work while listening to music on his I-pod. I'd never been able to do that. If I have to read something dry or technical I needed quiet for it to stick. Apparently easy going Binkie didn't have any trouble multitasking. Show off.

I decided to participate in a little passive aggressive behavior and I threw a paper clip at him to get his attention. Three clips later he finally turned around to see why I was bothering him. He pulled one bud from his ear and stared at me.

"Why don't you take a break and get us both some water from the break room?" I suggested as though I were too tired to get up.

He looked at me and shook his head as though he knew he were being worked, but didn't feel like fighting it.

"Alright, old man, I'll get you a drink." He teased getting up. "Do you need me to twist the top open for you too or do you think you can handle that?"

"Smartass!" I yelled after him as he walked away. Once he went out of view I pulled the three files off the bottom of my stack and put them in the middle of his, effectively shortening my work day.

When he sat the bottle down on my desk I smiled and said, "Mighty kind of you," and went back to my work after drinking most of the cold beverage. I have to assume Binkie knew I was up to something, but he never said a word and I was pleased when we both stood up at the same time finished with our paperwork.

"Lunch?" He asked in succinct RangeMan vernacular. I nodded that was fine and just as we sat down in the break room; both our pagers went off with the address of Maria's house showing on the screen.

"Let's roll," I told him running to my desk to grab my extra gun, a spare tranquilizer dart and my vest and double checking that Binkie did the same thing. I knew he was competent, but I still felt responsible for watching out for him.

We got to the garage at the same time as Lester and Tank. Les was chewing on at least three pieces of bubble gum giving him the look of having a case of the measles with a swollen cheek. I knew he was just using it to focus his energy until we got to her house so I didn't say a word. Tank gave a nod and we all climbed in the van Woody had pulled up for us.

Eight minutes later we pulled in next to Cal and Vince who had been on surveillance when Maria arrived home. Tank motioned for them to stay and keep their eyes open in case we had any unexpected visitors.

The plan was to tie her hands behind her back very loosely so that she could easily get herself free after she woke up from the stun gun charge Lester was to give her. When we approached the door Tank turned back and looked at Binkie with a nod. Son of a gun he had actually asked Tank if he could kick in the door after I refused to let him shoot Lopez the next time. That kid had gumption. Tank clicked off the countdown on his fingers and Binkie gave a perfectly positioned kick to knock the heavy door open and cause it to make a loud bang when it hit the wall behind it. We charged in and Les and I found Maria in her kitchen with a spoon in one hand running for the knives on the counter. Knowing she could do some damage to Les if she actually got her hand on one I dropped and got my dart gun and shot her in the shoulder with it. She screamed, admittedly softer than Lopez had when I shot him the last time, but about the time she realized I hadn't really hurt her, she fell to the ground. I pretended to blow smoke off the barrel when Les turned back with a smile.

We made quick work of moving her to the den and set everything up as planned, working in silence. The box was sitting on her coffee table where she couldn't miss it and she could easily get out of the ropes when she was conscious. Just as we were double checking that we had left no sign of our presence Binkie came in with a glass of water and bottle of aspirin to leave on the table next to the box. "Too much?" He asked.

I just shook my head and we followed Tank back out to the van. Cal and Vince were to stay behind to be sure that no one came in the house while she was unconscious to tamper with our message. If no one appeared in two hours they were okay to leave.

We drove back to Haywood in silence. Les was back to chewing on his gum. I didn't want to ask where it had been while we were in the house. When we got to the garage Tank looked at me and said, "Think we should make those darts standard issue?" It wasn't the first time they had saved our ass, and having the non-lethal option had been handy lately.

"Not a bad idea, I can get you the information on where I found mine and you can run it past Ranger." I suggested getting a grunt in response. That's right, I'm a trend setter when it comes to guns I thought to myself causing a half smile to pass across my face.

This time I was the one not aware of my surroundings when Binkie came up beside me and punched my arm to say, "Better get rid of the smile old man, people will think you're walking around happy." I resisted the urge to smack him back although my left hand's trigger finger was beginning to itch.

Sensing I was running through various ways of hurting him, Binkie offered to go back to the gym with me. I told him no and suggested he go tell Stephanie about what happened with Alonzo. He took off running and I went to the locker room to change and spend a little time on the treadmill. He was right about what I needed; I just didn't feel like giving him the satisfaction of knowing it.

As I was leaving the gym I got a text from Binkie telling me he was running out to pick up some things Steph wanted. He was technically on his own time, so he didn't need permission, but I had to admit he was good about checking in despite that fact. I wondered what he was doing for Stephanie. I would have liked to have been the one she asked for a favor, but he was there so I told myself it was just the convenience of him being nearby that made her ask him. At least it wasn't Brown or Santos. Binkie had Alyssa so I knew he wasn't competition. Shit now I was looking at her as thought there were a bat's chance in hell of her ever being mine. I stopped in the hall and turned back to the gym. Maybe a little time with the punching bag would help.

By the time I made it to my apartment for a shower and some dinner I was exhausted and my arms ached. I hadn't pushed myself this hard in a long time. I knew I'd be sore tomorrow, but didn't care. I needed the extra workout to get my head clear. Maybe some aching muscles tomorrow would help some more.

Brown was coming out of Steph's apartment when I got there so I let him close the door giving us a chance to talk in the hall. "She okay today?" I asked him.

He nodded before adding, "She had a little episode when Tristan was working with her but she was able to work through it herself. She did better today too, no complaining just a few eye rolls." I had to laugh at the way we were gauging her progress by how difficult she was with Tristan.

"Does she still need me, tonight?" I wondered aloud.

"She is counting on you being there so if you're up for it I think it would help her relax. She still needs the extra rest so it would be good. Tomorrow, I'm not going to stay with her all day. I've got people scheduled to drop by and I'll swing in for her meds every six hours, but I want to see how she does alone. I hope she'll follow Tristan's advice and get up for her exercises and then stay up trying to do a few things in her apartment instead of staying in bed, but I feel like she needs the chance to decide that on her own and not because I'm telling her what to do." He explained.

"She's probably tired of us in her hair all day anyway." I replied agreeing with his plan and relieved that his constant contact with her was about to end. At least he was giving me an excuse to keep coming back at night for a few more days. She still needed her rest so I could probably justify my presence through the end of the week at a bare minimum.

"I'll leave a panic button for her that will tie in to my pager, and I wanted to add you to the frequency too. That way either of us can respond or try to help calm her down if her breathing is getting away from her." He offered.

"You got it," I told him moving toward the door. I'd spent all the time I wanted to with Brown and was ready to see Stephanie. It had been a long fifteen hours since I'd seen her and I missed looking at her face. Geez man, I'm starting to sound like a greeting card. Thank god I had the ability to keep my thoughts to myself.

I went in and saw Stephanie sitting on her couch with the hockey game on holding a pillow in front of her. It appeared she was squeezing it instead of screaming at the level of play in the game. When she turned to see who had walked in she smiled at me and motioned for me to come over to her. I wasn't a huge hockey fan, but didn't mind watching the occasional game so I went over just glad to have the chance to be near her.

I sat beside her on the couch and left a little room between us so she wouldn't feel like I was too close. Then she reached under her pillow and pulled out a thin package wrapped in festive paper.

"What is this?" I asked looking at the present as though it would bite me.

She smiled even bigger and pushed it toward me insisting that I take it from her. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I suddenly had a good idea what she sent Binkie out for earlier. I held the package in my hand unsure of what to do.

She put her hands on top of mine getting my full attention and whispered, "Open it."

I tore off the paper, never one to do anything tentatively and saw she had given me a copy of the book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I couldn't help but smile at her reference to my name. Then I remembered I'd never told her about my phone call with my parents so I said, "I did call my mom by the way, and in fact I was named for the character in the book. Apparently she wanted two daughters and it was her plan to name them for the girls in the book, but she ended up with the male leads instead."

"Have you read it?" She asked with her voice sounding thinner than it had this morning.

"No, never." I admitted. I wasn't against reading, but I hadn't done much of lately either.

She reached for the remote and turned off the game before grabbing my hand and pulling me to follow her. She led us to the bedroom and crawled into bed, patting the side next to her as my invitation to join her. It didn't seem she was ready to go to sleep since she was sitting up so I asked what she wanted.

I got an award winning smile insuring whatever she asked for, she would receive. "Read to me?" was her whispered response. So, I picked up the book I'd brought from the den and opened it. Before I said the first words she pushed up the pillows for us to lean against and managed to work her way to my side laying her head on my shoulder eliminating any space between us.

Ironically, I was holding a fantasy book for kids in my hands. I couldn't help but note to myself I was definitely living a fantasy at the moment making it hard for me to criticize the genre. If she could enjoy spending time with a guy like me, a talking lion didn't seem like that great of a stretch.


	8. Friendship

_JE deserves the credit for the creation of the characters below._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) thank you for your invaluable Beta skills. I couldn't do this without you._

**Chapter 8 – Friendship**

When I awoke, I was lying on my back with Stephanie literally draped over me. Her left leg was over my waist and her arm was thrown on my chest. Her curls were tickling my nose, allowing me to inhale the fruity scent of her shampoo with every breath.

I could hear voices in the other room and knew we were not alone, but I was pleased that they had the good sense today to stay out of the bedroom. At least I thought they had stayed out of the bedroom. Truthfully I had just woken up so it's possible that there were now pictures of us sleeping together floating through the interoffice e-mail for all I know. The thought made me want to get up and threaten someone, but why? Was I concerned about how Steph would react to having her privacy invaded, or was I against the idea because I didn't know the answers to the questions the guys were bound to ask me? It was way too early to dwell on questions like that.

When did I start having trouble with waking up in the morning? I had read the book she gave me until well after midnight, but that didn't justify me sleeping that soundly and for this long. Hell, it was 6:30! As I began to wrestle with what to do, Steph began to shift and stretch, making a contented low moaning sound.

My complaints about sleeping in were forgotten. I wouldn't have missed this for any amount of time in the gym. God, she was beautiful. Her hair was everywhere, framing her face with a contrast of dark brown against her light skin. She nestled against my shoulder as though she were determined to keep her comfortable spot.

I ran my left hand up and down her arm reveling in the smooth soft feel of her skin under my rough fingers. Without opening her eyes she whispered, "Good morning."

My voice was much deeper than normal first thing in the morning so when I replied, "Good morning," it rumbled in my chest making her giggle softly. I blame the school girl sound of her laughter for paralyzing my internal censor and allowing me to continue talking. "I could get used to waking up like this." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. What was I saying to her? That I liked sleeping with her? I was desperate to find a way to back talk before I scared her and she began to pull away.

Then her soft voice, still thick with sleep said, "Me too, but I'd like it better if it were two hours later. They're making too much noise out there." I didn't know what to feel first; joy at the idea that she liked waking up with me too or laugh at the idea that the guys were in her kitchen this early. My chest started shaking which made her laugh too.

I used my right hand to brush the hair back from her face and placed a light kiss on her forehead. Consequences be damned, I couldn't resist with her this close after feeling her up against me and on me all night.

Her hand gripped my t-shirt when my lips left her face and my heart began to beat twice as fast. It seemed like she didn't want me to pull away and her lips were so close to mine. They were red and open ever so slightly as though they were begging to be kissed. I moved my hand and buried it in her curls causing her eyes to open. The deep blue that stared at me hooked me like a deer in headlights and I couldn't turn away.

Just as I began to feel the pull to move my lips closer to hers the door swung open and Bobby walked in carrying a tray with several glasses and pill bottles. Her voice was soft already from her injury, but the interruption made her whisper something so low I couldn't fully make it out, but I could have sworn that she cursed. I wonder what that meant. Was she upset that I nearly kissed her or was she as pissed at Brown as I was for interrupting us.

"The Warden is here," I joked earning me a smile and defusing some of the tension. I started to get up, but her grip increased so I tried to soothe her. "It's alright Steph, let's just sit up so Brown can sit the tray down without spilling anything." She nodded and allowed me to move the pillows back up like they were last night for us to lean against. The fact that she was leaning more on me than the pillows didn't appear to be lost on Bobby.

Suddenly I felt like a third wheel so I squeezed Stephanie's hand to warn her of what I was about to say. "You're in good hands now with Bobby, so I'm going to hit the gym and catch up with Binkie. I believe I need to thank him for his part in my gift last night."

When I said that, Bobby's eyebrows practically hit his hair line. I had to work hard to master my expression of satisfaction at all the ways he could be taking that statement and I liked every one.

"You'll be back tonight?" She asked tentatively.

"I told you, as long as you want me, I'm here." I said to her smile of relief. "Besides, we have more to read, a couple more days and we'll be finished with the book."

Bobby's face took on a more neutral expression as I alluded to what we had really done last night. Pity I gave it away.

I kissed her head again and then excused myself to get ready for the gym.

When I walked out of the bedroom Santos was spinning on a barstool. That man had a complete inability to sit still unless he had a loaded gun in his hand aimed at something. Give him a target in his sight and he could be a statue for hours on end, aside from that he was like a little kid with ADD.

I tried to walk past him, offering a nod as a greeting, but as soon as I was about to pass him, he slammed his hand on the bar to stop his stool from spinning and he stood up. "So Ram, two night here and two mornings in her bed. What are we supposed to think?"

The proper thing would have been to keep walking. But, I wasn't raised to be proper so I said, "I can't answer what you might assume is happening, but I better not hear about your guesses circulating in the office."

"Standing up for her honor or your own?" Lester asked without a smile.

I gave that a split second of thought before answering, "Both, but hers is the only one that really matters." I didn't give him a chance to respond before walking out and allowing the door to close hard behind me. Why was he asking me those questions? Did he have his sights on Steph and wanted to know what was going on between us or did he see something developing and just wanted to try and protect Steph? I would drive myself crazy trying to figure him out and would still come up blank, so I gave up and changed for the gym.

Binkie was on a treadmill when I got there and he gave me a nod of greeting. I jumped on the machine next to him and began at a moderate jog. When I glanced at him he was sporting a knowing grin. "So, Edmund, huh?" He said as though he wanted to pick on my name.

"You're kidding right? You're trying to say something about my name when we all call you Binkie." I spit out as a retort.

"Did you like the book?" He asked, confirming that was his secret errand for Stephanie yesterday.

"We started reading it last night," I told him before adding. "Did you wrap it too?"

Having no response to that, he went to the free weights room and began to lift. I cut my run short to spot him when he finished with the hand weights. I knew how strong he was so I trusted him completely as we switched places and he watched over me while I worked out.

We made it to the morning meeting by 9:00, but just barely. Tank was pulling up photos of the Alonzo family when we took our seats at the back. "Maria's house had no visitors yesterday after we left, but she was seen walking around and we traced several phone calls from a detection device Hector planted on the phone box outside her house. She placed a call to her brother in Miami which we were able to trace. By the time the team in the Miami office arrived, Alej was gone, but at least he knows we've got our eye on him. Ranger thinks they'll be able to get to him now that he's worried about his sister's safety."

The rest of the briefing was to remind us of the importance of keeping our eyes on Lopez. There was more movement around his office last night which makes us think that the weapons transfer was going to be made soon. The ATF doesn't want those guns leaving Trenton, especially not now that we've identified the dealer controlling their movement. My shift with Binkie to watch over Lopez was this afternoon and I wanted to ask Tank if we were to make our presence known. I hoped so; I'd enjoy another run in like we had the last time.

When we got out of the meeting we headed up to the control room to pull our shift at the monitors. Hopefully it would be a fast two hours. The only thing I hated more than monitors was running searches, but it was close to being a tie.

Half way through our shift my beeper went off with a tone I didn't recognize. I looked down and saw "Stephanie 9-1-1," written on the screen. I jumped up without explanation and yelled back to Binkie, "Call someone to take my place, I've got to go."

I ran down the single flight of stairs and found Stephanie in the bathroom sitting on the floor wrapped in her towel struggling to breathe. She was holding her cell phone in one hand and her panic button was on the floor next to her. Her face was bright red, and her lips were already turning blue. She was wheezing with every breath and when I knelt beside her, she began to grab at my hand as though she were begging for help.

I began my typical mantra of soothing words, stroking her hair in between coaching her on slowing down her breathing and focusing on me. She was calming only by a small degree. I didn't need a medical background to realize she was not getting enough oxygen. Bobby entered as I came to this conclusion and sat down a portable breathing treatment unit next to us on the floor. He put the mask over her face and turned on the noisy machine instructing her to breathe in as much as she could through her nose. She didn't let go of her grip on my hand so Bobby had to hold the mask on her face.

I realized I was holding my breath waiting to see if the machine would work and allow her to get the air she needed before she lost consciousness. It took a few minutes but her wheezing quieted and she was able to slow down her shallow breaths and begin taking longer, more effective ones.

"That's it, Steph," Bobby told her when it seemed like she had it back under control. Brown took her pulse and her temperature before taking the mask away and turning off the machine. He seemed to think she was over the attack so he asked what happened.

"I was in the shower and my phone rang so I jumped out to answer it." She answered.

"Then what happened?" He asked apparently not thinking that was enough to get her so worked up.

"It was my mom," She began making my grip on her tighten involuntarily. I had to force myself to relax in order to keep from hurting her. "She wanted to come visit me at RangeMan since I haven't seen her since the hospital. I told her now wasn't a good time, but she started yelling that I was embarrassing her by living here instead of coming home so she could take care of me. I started to pace while she was lecturing me." Steph's breathing rate was beginning to increase while she relived the phone call so I dropped one hand to soothe her by running it through her hair.

"It's alright, Steph, we're right here," I was impressed that I was able to control the anger in my voice.

Bobby asked, "Was it the call, or the fast pacing that brought on the attack?" I wasn't sure if he was trying to get a good diagnosis on what happened or if, like me, he wanted someone to blame for the distress Steph was experiencing.

She shrugged her shoulders in a slightly defeated way and offered her guess, "Both."

She leaned her head forward and I lifted her chin to assure her, "Not your fault. You should be able to answer your phone without worrying about the person on the other end attacking you." I didn't know if I should promise her it wouldn't happen again, but I promised it to myself. As soon as I was done here, I was going to get Binkie and we were going to pay Mrs. Plum a little visit. I told myself Binkie would keep me from doing anything rash, but I knew he was just as protective as I was when it came to Steph. Perhaps I should consider taking a third person to keep us both in line.

Bobby broke into my thoughts by saying, "It seems like everything is under control now. You did good Steph by calling us when you did. This will get easier. Tristan will be here this afternoon and we can talk to him about techniques to help you identify the signs of when an attack is coming on so you can begin to manage it before it gets this far along." That seemed like a good idea.

Then he asked, "Do you want one of us to stay with you?" My heart jumped into my throat. Maybe I needed to stay for Tristan's session so I could learn to control my own breathing in stressful situations.

She nodded yes and looked up at me asking with her eyes. I squeezed her hand slipping into our non-verbal communication easily. "As long as you need me." I told her before looking at Bobby and telling him, "I've got this."

Bobby gave me a half smile and for the first time I didn't feel like he was judging me or jumping to conclusions about what was going on. He seemed to like whatever it was he thought he saw and I didn't want to question him about what it was.

"The button has reset itself so she can call us if she needs anything and Ella will be here in an hour with lunch and Tristan comes an hour after that." He explained.

As soon as Bobby shut the front door I was acutely aware of the fact that she was only wearing a towel. I felt my blood rushing, but none of it was going where I needed it most. I needed to keep a level head and help her get up and dressed, but all I could think about was the thin barrier of cotton between us and wondered if she stood up if it would fall to the floor. I shook my head to clear those thoughts making her lift her head where it had rested against my chest.

"Do you think you can stand?" I asked with a raspy voice. She nodded that she could, but she made no attempt to move. I waited for a minute before putting my arms under her and lifting her to me. I stood with her cradled against me and took her to the bed. Laying her down, I pushed her hair out of her face and assured her, "It will get easier. You have already made some pretty big strides."

"I know it will…" She started but stopped herself and looked away.

"None of that," I said pulling her head back to face me. "What is it?"

"I know the injuries will heal, they're getting better, but it's the same argument with my mother. At what point do I just say it's not worth it anymore and tell her to leave me alone?" She suggested.

"Why haven't you?" I'd always wondered why she put up with her mother's interference and overbearing lectures.

"Because she isn't always like that, when she wants to understand she's great, but it seems she only want to support me when I'm doing something she approves of. She's my mom and I can't just tell her to leave me alone. I've just always wished she would wake up and see I'm not like her so I need different things from my life." She said finishing up with a loud swallow and a grimace.

"You deserve so much more than that. You deserve to be supported unconditionally," I said to her and was shocked when she touched my face and replied, "I am, just not by her." Did that mean she thought I supported her unconditionally? Why couldn't she just say exactly what she meant and not leave the small element of mystery in comments like that. And women say men are confusing.

"How about you get dressed and I'll make you some tea?" I suggested, looking for a way out of the bedroom before the question of what would happen to the towel if she stood up was answered. As much as I wanted to know, I didn't think I'd be able to walk away if it hit the floor.

She came out in jeans and a t-shirt with a scoop neck that showed the outline of her collarbones. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to resist the urge to walk over to her and put my lips on her delicate bone structure and work my way up her neck to her ear. "Tea?" I offered with a crack in my voice. What did I expect with thoughts like that? Of course my body would betray me and make me sound fourteen again.

Now that she was dressed and pulled together I wasn't sure what to do for her and wondered if I should stay or go. As if she could read my thoughts she looked at her watch and said, "You better go if you're going to get much done before your surveillance shift this afternoon." I smiled that she knew my schedule.

"I won't be here for a few hours, but Brown is around. You'll call him if you need something?" I both asked and insisted at once.

She nodded and then took a sip of her tea before saying, "Thank you for coming. I know I should be able to calm down on my own, but something about you being here always makes it easier."

"I understand that," I told her and then cringed internally when she asked, "How?"

"Because when I'm next to you I feel calmer too. Maybe we have that effect on each other." I offered hoping my answer didn't give too much away.

"You better get going before Binkie comes down to see what happened to you," She suggested walking me to the door. I tried to hide my disappointment at being dismissed. She held the door open as I passed through it, but she pulled me back by the hand just as I passed through.

"Thank you," She said looking in my eyes intently as though she were saying much more than those two words. I almost felt dizzy which made no sense so I took a deep breath and replied, "No, thank you," running the back of my index finger down her jaw. "I'll see you tonight," I promised before walking away.

I made my way to the stairwell and then wondered what I should do now. As I walked up to the fifth floor I saw it was past time for my shift on monitors to be over. When I realized we had a couple of hours to kill before our surveillance on Lopez I formed a half thought out plan and went straight to Binkie's desk.

"You ready to roll?" I asked stopping at his cubicle.

He stood up immediately and nodded yes. "She okay?" He asked, not masking his concern for Stephanie. "She will be, but you and I are going to help speed the process up a little." I said walking to the garage with him following me.

"How are we going to do that?" He asked with enthusiasm evident in his voice. Whatever I had planned, if it included helping Steph in any way, he wanted in.

"We're going to see Mrs. Plum. She called Steph this morning and yelled at her until she was so upset she had trouble breathing and needed help to calm down. It's ridiculous that she treats her that way and it needs to stop now," I said, stiffening my resolve as we drove to the Burg.

"Perfect," Binkie said. Apparently he had no issues with me interfering with the Plum household for how they treated her. "What can I do?" He asked as we parked in front of their house. I thought about it for a few minutes, but when the front door opened and Mrs. Plum appeared in the doorway, I opened my door and instructed, "You need to keep me from shooting her."

He met me as we went up the steps on the porch and said, "No promises."

I looked at my partner and saw no trace of his normal smile. If anything, it looked like any bullets that flew at Mrs. Plum wouldn't be coming from my gun.

She opened the door partly, but not far enough to suggest she wanted us to enter. "Can I help you?" She asked trying to be casual, but cowering behind her door, the fear was apparent on her face.

There was very little that Steph shared with her mother. She was taller than Helen and her hair was much longer in addition to the curls. Helen wasn't overweight exactly, but she didn't have the sexy curves of her daughter either. What she did share was the same mouth and the same shaped eyes. The color was vastly different and Helen's contained none of the life that Steph's had, but still, the family resemblance was there.

"Ma'am, my name is Edmund Ramsey, I work with your daughter at RangeMan," As soon as that word came from my mouth her lips thinned and her distaste for our employer was evident.

Binkie could see that her reaction was beginning to make me tense up and he stepped forward and said, "Mrs. Plum, if you would be kind enough to let us in we want to update you on Stephanie's condition and let you know what treatment she is being given at our facility. We understand you called earlier trying to understand why she was staying there."

As he spoke someone walking their dog passed by and stared at the two large men dressed in black standing on her porch. I don't know if she invited us in because of Binkie's well worded opening, or because she didn't want her nosy neighbors to see her with us.

We walked in and were led to a tasteful living room where Binkie and I sat on opposite ends of the couch. "Can I get you coffee or some cookies?" She offered. No matter what else I may think of Helen Plum, she was clearly not willing to allow rude to be a characteristic on that list.

We both declined before she sat down in a wing back chair closer to Binkie. I began by saying, "Mrs. Plum, would you like an update on Stephanie's condition?"

She shook her head no before saying, "Mr. Brown called and told me all about her being shot and how she needs someone to care for her. That is why I called her today to help her understand as long as she needs care, she needs to be here so that I can watch over her. It isn't really appropriate for her to be living in the middle of a bunch of single men. Her boyfriend Detective Morelli might object."

Binkie beat me to the punch this time and spoke up, "Mrs. Plum, Stephanie and Joe haven't dated in months. As a matter of fact, he is dating a school teacher and it's beginning to get serious."

"I'm not sure where you heard that gossip, but if Joe is seeing someone else it is only until Stephanie comes to her senses and comes back to him. They have been together since they were children and they will get married in the end." Helen confidently informed us.

"In the meantime, we wanted to be sure you understood some of the special care Steph needs." I began again.

"What special care?" She asked apparently beginning to understand we came to tell her something specific and wouldn't leave until we did.

"When Stephanie was shot, the bullet broke two ribs, tore through her lung, and lodged in her windpipe at her trachea. This means she is in near constant pain from her ribs and lungs and her ability to breathe has been severely compromised."

"What do you mean compromised?" Came a male voice from behind us.

I stood up and saw Frank Plum standing behind us in the doorway that led to the dinning room. He sat in the arm chair near my end of the sofa and asked again. "What were you saying about my daughter? What does that mean?"

"It means that if she is sitting, she is fine, but if she has to exert herself to walk across the room for example, or if she gets upset and begins to cry her respiratory rate increases and her windpipe may swell, restricting her air flow. She begins to draw less and less oxygen and would eventually pass out or suffocate if someone didn't intervene. Although her ribs are healing and her episodes are getting fewer, she had one this morning – her most severe since she left the hospital." I explained using all my strength to keep my voice neutral.

"And what caused the attack this morning?" Mr. Plum wondered.

"She received an upsetting phone call," I responded looking at Mrs. Plum, but not blatantly accusing her of being the caller.

"Helen?" Frank asked his wife.

"What, Frank?" She responded defensively. "I called her to tell her she needed to come home so we could take care of her instead of all the men she is constantly surrounded by. It doesn't look right."

"We can't take care of her," Mr. Plum insisted. "She needs a doctor around. And Lord knows this house isn't calm. You need to quit dictating what you want her to do, and start asking how you can help."

Mrs. Plum's mouth opened but no sound came out. I didn't know if she were more upset about being told what to do or shocked that Frank was the one telling her.

I thought this was a good opportunity to get the message across I wanted to deliver. "Mrs. Plum, if you interested, there is something I believe you are best equipped to do for Stephanie."

She cut her eyes from her husband to me quickly. "Well of course I'm interested in helping Stephanie. That's what I was trying to do. She is my daughter, and I would do anything I could for her."

Binkie looked at me, and from the expression on his face I knew he believed her. He didn't want me to keep pressing so I tried to smooth my tone a little to keep the conversation moving forward. "She is just beginning to eat real food again. There were concerns about her choking while her throat was healing and so far she has only gotten soft foods, pureed vegetables and high protein shakes." I decided not to mention the milkshake, it didn't make the point I was going after.

"She can't live on food like that." Helen interrupted.

I had her just where I wanted her. "No ma'am, she can't. You know her likes and dislikes better than anyone, and we all know she considers your cooking to be the best there is. Can you think of anything that would be easier to swallow that she could have for dinner tomorrow night?" I wanted her to volunteer to feed her, but I refused to ask outright.

"Of course I can, and I'll have it ready by 6:00. Can she come here, or do I need to have Frank deliver it to the building where she is now?" Mrs. Plum offered.

"I think this time, it would be best if she could eat in her apartment at our office building, but hopefully soon she could come here. I know she would love to see you once she is up for it." I added, seeing a slight smile from my partner who had been looking at me like I'd been inhabited by aliens. I'm not sure if it was because I was talking so much or because I was leading Helen gently to where I wanted her to be in the conversation. I know I don't talk much, but surely he realized I was capable of civilized conversation.

"Tell her she'll have a real meal with dessert tomorrow night. And as her needs change I'll expect you to let me know so I can help with that." She said straightening up in her chair.

I stood up to leave and Binkie followed my lead. "Thank you for taking the time to talk with us ma'am," I said passing by her to go to the front door.

She straightened her skirt nervously as though she wanted to say something, but just couldn't. Finally she managed to say, "Tell Stephanie I'm sorry," before walking quickly towards her kitchen.

Frank saw us to the front door. "Thank you for coming out today boys." He had a paternal manner to him that made you want to seek his approval. His love for his youngest daughter was apparent when he said, "I appreciate you letting me know what Helen was doing to Stephanie. Those two have never seen eye to eye and usually Steph can ignore her mother, but right now I imagine she is struggling to do that. Food was the right approach. It's the only thing those two agree on."

"Sir," I said with a tip of my head as we walked out the front door.

"Tell my little girl I'll see her tomorrow night." He said, shutting the door behind him.

After we climbed in the SUV Binkie said, "I think that went well."

"Steph isn't ready to cut the ties with her mom, but I had to do something. Helen had her so worked up this morning Steph couldn't calm down on her own. It scared the shit out of me." I said pulling away from the curb.

"I can't believe you came up with the idea of having her mom cook for her. That was brilliant." He offered.

I wasn't sure if I should take offense at his tone of surprise. "Thanks?" I said as a question still not sure if it was a compliment or a back handed remark.

"I just mean, I know you would have rather put her in her place, and for a minute or two before Mr. Plum showed up I thought that was just what was about to happen." He explained.

We rode in silence for a few minutes before he hit me a question I wasn't expecting. "So, why did you do it?"

"I told you, Steph was really upset and I was afraid of what would happen the next time if I didn't put a stop to her mother's interference now." I didn't know what he was after.

"No, that's not what I mean. You're going way out of your way to take care of her. I mean, we would all do just about anything for her, but you are a lot more involved than that. If I didn't know better I'd say you were falling for her." He explained.

I so didn't want to have this conversation with him. But my mouth beat my brain and I said, "What do you mean, if you didn't know better?"

"I'm getting to know you better from the time that we're spending together, and I can see you're a much nicer guy than I gave you credit for. The way you're caring for her now is just an extension of that, right?" It gave me a perfectly valid way to explain my behavior. I should have just said 'yes' and kept going, but I paused a little too long and my talkative partner just had to pick up on it.

"Shit Ram, tell me you're not falling for her." He said again.

"What's it to you?" There - a good offensive was always better than a reactionary defense.

"Do you know how messed up she is right now?" He asked. "Do you honestly think you can make her happy? Can you put her needs ahead of your own? Can you completely open up to her and share everything about yourself? Do you think you deserve someone like her?"

He was making one good point after another and I couldn't decide if I should punch him or agree with him. "I know what she's dealing with better than anybody and I know I don't deserve her. I don't know if I could make her happy or not, but I would give my life trying. I've already opened up and shared some of my past with her in a way I never have before and she just asks for more instead of pushing me away." I told him. "You don't need to lecture me about not deserving her."

"Shit man, calm down." He said quickly. "I just needed to be sure you weren't just playing with her. If you try for something with Stephanie you need to be willing to give her everything. And if she wants you for some reason, I'll support you both, but if you hurt her I'll kill you with a smile on my face proving you can be happy and strong at the same time."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud and immediately noticed Binkie wasn't smiling. The kid was honestly threatening me if I hurt his adoptive big sister. I had to admire his spunk.

"I can promise you I'll never hurt her intentionally, but I think this conversation is a little premature. Like you said, she deserves someone much greater than me so I can't imagine me ever being a position to see your violent side directed this way." I countered.

"I would've thought so too, but after yesterday, I'm not so sure. She spent most of my visit talking about you and asking what you were like to work with. I don't know why she'd waste her time with an old guy like you, but for some reason she seems to think there is more to you than what the rest of us sees." The light tone was back in his voice and I think he was trying to joke about it but I couldn't help but agree with him. I'm not sure why she'd waste her time with me either.

Still, the fact that she was talking about me brought that warmth back in my chest. "This conversation…" I began not sure how to word my request.

"Relax," Binkie began. "We're supposed to be partners and me ratting you out to the guys wouldn't exactly show you that I've got your back now would it?"

"Thanks man," I told him feeling for the first time in a long time I had someone in my life that I could trust. Was I going soft or growing up? I had a woman that I was developing feelings for faster than I could identify them and now for the first time in years I trusted someone that I could call a friend.


	9. Answering Questions

_None of the characters are mine. All the credit belongs to JE._

_Special thanks to my super-beta Jenn (perfectmanhattan). This story is so much more fun because of your hard work._

**Chapter 9 – Answering Questions**

"You want to do what?" I asked Stephanie to clarify the plan she had for our evening before I read some more to her from the book she had given me the day before.

"Three questions," She repeated. "I want to ask you three questions and you have to answer, no passes, or 'it's complicated' and in return you can ask me any three questions you want and I'll answer them too."

The fact that this was her suggestion right after I said hello put me on edge. She must have gotten bored today after her attack because she seemed excited to hit me with her questions. If I said okay, I would have no choice but to answer her, but what if she came right out and asked something I didn't want to admit or I didn't know the answer to?

"It won't be that bad, I promise," She prompted showing her excitement for her idea making it even harder for me to resist despite desperately wanting to.

"Alright, as long as you aren't asking something that is classified I'll do my best to answer you," I finally gave in and realized that the last time my hands were this sweaty and my heart rate was this high was when I was in the jungle with foreign militants shooting at me while I was running to avoid getting hit. I hoped she couldn't tell I was going though a mild panic attack over here. It's not the kind of thing I'd want to get out.

"Ready?" she asked practically bouncing on the couch next to me. I nodded afraid to speak yet.

"First," She began with a twinkle in her eye, "Tell me about your brother Peter."

I let out a quick breath. This question at least would be easy and it would get one-third of her inquisition out of the way. "You already know his name is Peter and he's older than me. I think I was more of an annoyance to him than anything else growing up. He watched out for me when my parents paid him to, but other than that I was on my own. He was smart and hung out with a different crowd than I did in school, so few of our friends were from the same families."

"Does he look like you?" She asked when I stopped talking.

"Is this your second question?" I hoped.

"No, but you don't seem to know what to say so I'd thought I'd help you." She explained much to my disappointment.

"No, he is a little shorter and not nearly as in shape. His skin is pale, he looks more like my mother who taught literature, whereas I take after my dad who was a gym and history teacher. Peter's a priest now with a wife and two kids." I explained then laughed at her expression when I used the word priest and kids in the same sentence. "Sorry, he's an Episcopal Priest, they can get married. I always forget people up here tend to think Catholic when I say priest."

I realized she was still waiting on me to say more so I decided to try and give her what she wanted. "He was a talkative, outgoing, upbeat kid and that translated into who he is now. Most people enjoy being around him because he is likable if you aren't constantly being compared to him. After having very little to do with me when we were younger, he spent months trying to talk me out of going into the military because in his mind 'peace should be the first response not violence.'" I tried as hard as I could to keep the resentment out of my voice when I said the last part but the look on her face told me I'd failed miserably.

"It's okay, I do like him and as we've gotten older we're able to get along and talk more so it's easier, but I don't think we'll ever be those brothers who are best friends and share each other's secrets. We just look at the world too differently." I told her and saw that she understood exactly what I meant by that.

"Ready for the next question?" She asked regaining some of her excitement. I nodded so she went ahead and asked, "Are you being nice to Binkie only because you promised me to look out for him?"

This question made me smile. "In the beginning, absolutely, yes. But, now I'm not so sure." I paused while I tried to think about it. "It turns out, he's a nice guy and as far as partners go, I think we are well suited for working together. He's even getting better at reading me and not randomly chatting when I need it to be quiet. During our surveillance shift today we talked some, but it was okay because it gave us something to do besides concentrate on our asses going to sleep in the truck. We agree on a lot of things so there isn't the judgment and arguments like I have with Peter when I try to talk to him."

"Now that I'm getting better are you going to go back to picking on him like the other guys?" She asked. I knew this was a follow up and not her third question so I answered her, "No. He's my partner now, and even though I can pick on him when it's just the two of us, I've got his back in front of the other guys. Besides, the more he goes out with me and the others see how good he is at his job, the less they'll pick on him too. I trust him, and it will wear off on the others soon enough."

This got me a full fledged smile and she squeezed my hand when I said the last part. I figured she must approve of my new found respect for her friend. I was feeling braver from the first two questions so I said, "Now, go ahead and lay the last question on me."

She laughed lightly and I tried to memorize the sound. She seemed much better than this morning when I left and hearing her relax enough to laugh was wonderful. She looked down for a minute as though she were mustering her courage and then looked up suddenly and said, "Have you ever been in love?"

My eyes got big and for a brief moment I was sure my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. It took me a few tries to swallow enough to get control over my voice. "Well, I had a high school sweetheart. We dated through the last two years of school and I was sure I was in love. She was everything I thought I wanted in a girl until the day after graduation. When I told her I had decided I wasn't going to college like we had planned and I was going to join the Army instead she freaked out. From the moment I enlisted until I left for basic three months later, she did everything in the book to try and talk me out of it. She didn't want to be an army wife and wanted me to have a regular job with nine to five hours so when I left I broke up with her and I haven't heard from her since."

"It was a good thing you found out when you did, though, right?" Steph prompted when I got temporarily lost in my thoughts.

"Sure. At the time it hurt to have assumed she loved me for me, but to find out she only wanted me because of who she thought she could make me." I confessed one of my carefully guarded secrets easily to her. Her eyes told me she knew what I meant. I assume it was much like her relationship with Joe Morelli. They had history but they were in love with the idea of being with each other, not really with who the other person was. They had split the last time on good terms, but the fights they had up to that point were legendary.

"Who else? There hasn't been a woman to turn your head since high school?" She asked showing me she didn't believe for a moment I was finished answering her question.

"There have been women I thought I was falling for, but something would happen and in retrospect I saw I didn't really love them. I loved things about them, things we shared, but not them." I realized that sounded crazy and hoped she didn't need me to explain it because I wasn't sure I could.

Her eyes were looking at mine searching for something and without my consent my mouth opened and kept talking. "I'm not good at talking about feelings; I prefer to show it than say it. I guess I would be a hard person for a woman to open up to because I would seem so closed. I'm rough around the edges, reserved, really into guns, and I work strange hours in a job that is next to impossible to describe. I'm not the kind of person you would want to carry home to your mother." I explained.

She gently stroked my face almost startling me as I was not looking at her to see her hand move so close. "I would be proud to take you home with me. Any girl should feel the same way." Steph told me drawing me in with the softness of her voice and the tender touch on my cheek. I leaned into her slightly and fought to keep from shutting my eyes.

What was she saying to me? Did she mean she wanted to take me home or was this just another example of how Steph accepted all of us at RangeMan? Was she trying to tell me she had feelings for me, or was this just encouragement for me to try and find a girlfriend other than her? Damn, why can't women come with instructions, or a translation dictionary? I couldn't just come out and ask her what she meant without confessing something I hadn't entirely figured out yet.

She was about to say something else when my cell phone went off. It was Tank so I had to answer it and was glad that Stephanie smiled when I made a face at the thought that we were being interrupted.

"Yo," I answered just before Tank began. "We've got movement by Lopez. You and Binkie need to come to the waterfront. The feds are coming, but we can get there quicker and they don't want the guns loaded onto Alonzo's boats no matter what, so we may need to create a distraction."

This was a command performance so I had to go. "I'll grab him and we'll meet you at the docks." I replied before hanging up and taking a deep breath to tell Steph I had to go. She was covering her mouth with her hand.

Confused, I pulled it away only to see she was attempting to hide her smile. "What's that face for?" I wondered.

"None of you guys know how to say goodbye on the phone do you?" She laughed.

I had to smile that only Steph would hear me talking about needing to leave and would come up with a lesson on phone etiquette.

"I've got to get Binkie and we need to head to the docks. There's movement on the guns Lopez is storing so we have to get there and create a distraction." I explained.

"Will you come here when you get back?" She asked tentatively.

"I will, but I can't promise how late it will be. You'll probably already be asleep." I warned her.

"It doesn't matter, I want to know you're back safe. Just come in and lay down even if I'm not awake." She instructed me so I agreed and stood up to leave.

Remembering her critique of my phone manners I turned around at the door and looked at her sitting on the couch. "Hey Steph, I'll see you later."

She smiled realizing I was trying to say goodbye. "See ya, Ram. Remember, no matter how late, just come in."

"Got it," I replied before seeing myself out and heading up in search of Binkie.

We got our extra gear and as we neared the waterfront we discussed different distractions if we needed to do something to slow down Lopez's transfer of the weapons. Since we weren't coming up with anything short of blowing up the ammunition, we hoped Tank had a better plan.

At the docks we connected with Lester and Tank and they told us Cal and Hector were nearby too. We got our com units and hid ourselves in the small natural area near the water.

It took thirty minutes of quiet waiting, but we finally saw the delivery vans we had documented near Lopez's warehouse last week. From my vantage point I counted four gunmen plus the two drivers. Our numbers were even, but we had no idea what to expect from Alonzo's people when they arrived. Ten minutes later two boats appeared to be moving closer to the dock.

Realizing we only had a few minutes I said to anyone who was listening, "Is there anything that can be poured on water that you can light to burn?"

"Gas won't do it unless there is more gas than water, but oil would, and some grease compounds." I heard Cal respond. He was our resident chemist and explosives expert.

"We don't by any chance have some oil or grease that we can put near the dock and set on fire when the boats come up. At the very least, it would slow them down and give the Feds a little more time to get here.

"I'll look around," Came Cal's response. I couldn't see them, but after a few minutes Binkie pointed and following his finger I could see a figure moving in the distance near the water like he was checking the engine on a small vessel near the dock.

Just as the boats we suspected were Alonzo's began to get close Cal's voice came through. I've got the water set, but I need a flame. Les jumped up and ran to the truck nearby. When he came back he handed me a flare gun and smiled. "There you go sniper hit the slick spot on the water."

Never one to back down from a challenge I smiled and said, "Easy as hitting a bad guy hiding in the bushes." I could easily see Les' teeth as he smiled at the memory of that early mission. With that I aimed where I had just seen Cal standing, moved marginally to the right to account for the drift of the water and pulled the trigger. The blast from the gun was easy to watch travel to the water. As soon as it hit, the flames spread over the top of the water quickly creating enough of a distraction the boats turned and headed back out.

Two minutes later the ATF agents pulled up and arrested Lopez's men and confiscated the trucks full of gun. Tank called our contact and told them the drop off guys were still in the harbor, but since the transfer of guns didn't happen, they couldn't arrest them with only the suspicion of them being the intended recipient of the ammunitions. Still, the bust the agents got with the guns and the six members of Lopez's staff was enough to call it a good night for them.

The whole way to the vans I kept thinking, this just seemed too easy. It's like they wanted us to see them coming and played right into what we thought they were doing. We were almost to the truck when I turned to Binkie and said, "Did that seem too simple to you?"

He shrugged his shoulders and I heard the first shot ring out in the direction of where Cal and Hector had been moments before. I ducked behind the SUV motioning for Binkie to follow me. We waited for a moment having to pinpoint the position of the gunmen on sound alone as it was pitch black now and I couldn't see any movement. I grabbed a rifle from the back and threw it over my shoulder to add to my portable armory.

Binkie followed close to my side as we went to offer some support to Cal and Hector. I tested to see if they were still on the com unit, "Cal, you guys alright?"

"Yea, Hector took one in the shoulder, but it was an in and out." He responded quietly.

"Any idea where they are?" I asked hoping to get a better grip on the situation before I stumbled across the wrong end of their gun.

"I could have sworn the shots came from the roof where the boat house is." Cal said. Binkie tapped my shoulder and pointed at the corner of the roof. I could make out one person laying on his stomach with a rifle similar to mine aimed at the general direction of the guys. I holstered my Glock and swung the rifle around in front of me. Easily getting him in my sight I pulled the trigger and smiled when his head fell forward. Now moving from my position I saw two men run to the edge of the roof when their friend was hit and was able to pick them off with my next two shots.

I resisted the urge to turn when I heard Binkie take a shot with his Glock and saw a man fall off the roof to the ground below. Apparently, he had run to the opposite corner and had lifted a weapon in my general direction.

Not seeing anymore movement, I turned and smiled at my partner and said, "Nice," to which he smiled in return. He's right, in certain situations a smile doesn't make one look weak at all. Of course having a 9mm gun practically smoking next to your face doesn't hurt in making you look stronger either.

By the time we had all the gunmen secure, Tank and Les had already called the cops and the ATF to alert them that some of Lopez's men were missed in the earlier capture. They were more than happy to come back and pick up the wounded guys that we were holding. It took an hour to finish with the statements and get the record straight about exactly what happened, but when we were allowed to leave I still felt something wasn't right. Why would Lopez put security on top of the building? Was that insurance to take us out so the authorities wouldn't be contacted? If so, it seems they waited too long to act. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I didn't like the way the night went down.

When I got back to Haywood it was past midnight but I still felt the need to rinse the filth off me so I slipped in my apartment for a quick shower before letting myself in Steph's unit to check on her. I put on some loose shorts to sleep in as lying in bed with Stephanie was a full body contact sport and I was getting too warm in sweat pants.

I stood in the doorway of her bedroom just watching her sleep for a few minutes, loving the halo effect the moonlight through her window gave to her hair spread out above her head on the pillow. It was breathtaking. I guess I stared too long as she began to stir and sat up looking right at me and saying, "Ram?"

"I'm here Steph, it's alright." I assured her going to her side immediately and climbing in when she pulled the covers back as an invitation. I laid down facing her and smiled when she spooned up close to me pulling my arm further around her when I rested my hand on her hip.

She seemed to be half asleep still and was mumbling something I couldn't make out so I asked what she said. "Not important," She repeated on a sigh. "As long as you come home to me, it's not important."

My heart felt warmer knowing she wanted me to come home to her. I hadn't had a place I considered home in a long time, despite having apartments that were my own. "What's not important?" I decided to press and see if she would keep talking. "I was worried about you," She clarified.

I was happy that she worried, but she probably would have said the same thing about any number of the guys so it wasn't specific to me. I decided to go for broke and ask one more question as she drifted off to sleep. "Why do you worry about me?"

"Hmmm, because you're the one I need." She told me slipping quickly away.

"What do you need me for?" I pressed hoping my question wasn't too late.

"To love me," She said almost as one word.

I thought about it for a minute feeling her breathing regulate and slow down in slumber. Before I closed my own eyes I kissed her hair and whispered, "I do love you, Steph." As the words came out of my mouth a pain went through my chest. I was in love with Stephanie. I had no way of knowing if she felt the same way about me or not, but I knew it was true. The emotions I couldn't put my finger on, the jealousy with the other guys, the warm sensation when she was near and the peace that came from watching her sleep was all because I loved her.

I was just beginning to drift off when I swore I heard her say, "I love you too, Ram." I may have dreamt it, but the words were so sweet that I wouldn't dare wake up and interrupt the dream.

The next morning I woke up at 6:00 wondering if I would ever get back on my normal routine. Sleeping with Stephanie did something to my internal clock. She had her leg thrown over my waist and her arm was draped on my shoulder. She smelled of vanilla and strawberries and for the first time in a long time I felt content. I had no desire to get moving, I just wanted to be here with her, awake and able to appreciate the wonderful woman in my arms.

I thought back to the realization I'd had the night before and wondered if she knew how I felt. Somehow I doubted it. I couldn't imagine her being so close to me if she thought I loved her. While she breathed warm air on my bare chest I began to think on the three questions I could ask her. She had promised if I answered her she would let me ask her three of my own and she would be honest with me as well. I needed to come up with good ones, full disclosure was a precious gift and I wanted to be sure the questions I asked would reveal things to me no one else knew.

Just as I began to formulate what I wanted to ask, the door opened and Lester came in with his hand over his eyes, pretending not to look, but the open spread of his fingers told me he was definitely trying to figure out what was going on. I hadn't designed it, but the sheet was down to my waist showing off my bare torso and Steph's naked leg and arm. She had the sheet pulled up to her neck and it covered up the fact that she was wearing the skimpy clothes that she referred to as pajamas. The look Les was getting definitely would give the appearance that neither of us were clothed and one could speculate we'd been this way all night.

I could have jumped up and shown him I had on shorts or strategically moved the covers to show Steph had on clothes, but I chose to sit there smiling at the office gossip waiting to see how he explained his presence.

"Dude," He began, never turning away from the sight in front of him. "Tank told me to get down here and wake you up. The info the ATF guys sent over about the gunmen last night was interesting and we need to do some digging. It looks like instead of closing the case we may have just opened it wider."

"Are we looking a day of background checks and desk duty?" I asked not bothering to hide my lack of enthusiasm.

"Looks like it, unless you know someone with killer instincts that is good at putting details together quickly we will be digging through files all day." He summed up just as Steph began to move, softly saying my name.

Les turned around and walked out shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Good morning," I said once I thought she was really trying to wake up.

"What can I do to help?" She asked.

"Help with what?" I wondered.

"I heard you and Lester and if you have a day of running searches and looking for connections, then I can help. I spent all day sitting in my apartment flipping through the channels on the television. I'm bored and since I doubt anyone would let me go to the mall, I suggest you find something else I can do to occupy myself." She said beginning to open her eyes convincing me she was serious.

"How about we ask Bobby what he thinks and if you want to come upstairs and jump in the fun of searches I'll carry you down and wait on you hand and foot all day." I promised.

"Really?" She asked sounding much too excited to be thinking about sitting at a desk. Then she added, "I'm not excited about the desk duty, I want to see you wait on me hand and foot."

I laughed at her joke wondering if I had said my thought aloud. It was a trait we all found endearing in Stephanie, but the thought of doing it myself made me hear my heart beating in my ears.

I began to sit up when she added, "And, I'll know if you add extra searches in my pile, so don't think you can trick me as easily as you can Binkie." She threatened.

I tried to look innocent and failed miserably, but the sound of her laughter at my attempt made it completely worth it. I ended up laughing with her and reached out to push some errant curls away from her shinning face. That is how Bobby found us, slightly tangled with my hand on her face, laughing.

He smiled and nodded as though giving me permission to stay just as I was while he checked on Steph and made notes with his pencil.

She told him about wanting to go on the floor and my offer to carry her up there and wait on her hand and foot. Then I saw just how quick her mind was when she added. "This way I would be surrounded by you guys which means you could finally get out without having to hover in case something happens to me. I'll be in good hands and you can finally get some time off."

Bobby would never admit to feeling tied down caring for her, but it had to be getting to him. As long as she was stuck in the building he confined himself here too to watch over her. She could see him beginning to consider it so she threw the final straw on and said, "Cathy could meet you for lunch and the two of you could take a long hot lunch together." As she said the word hot, Bobby's pencil broke and I knew she'd be working on the main floor today.

Assuring him for the tenth time that she would only work until lunch and come back down to take a nap. He agreed, but only if I was going to stay nearby. Why he insisted on that is beyond me. I was a sniper, not a medic. Hell, Les had more medical training than I did. As Bobby's long term partner he had assisted and watched Bobby handle any number of emergencies. Surely he was better qualified to help her. Still, if something happened when Bobby was gone, I'd rather be the one pressing my lips to hers, not Santos.

Two hours later I knocked on her apartment door and smiled when she opened it wearing her RangeMan uniform of black cargos and an Ella made black polo shirt. She was sporting her inner bad ass except for the huge smile on her face.

"Are you ready?" I asked suddenly thinking letting her out of the apartment wasn't such a good idea. Any number of things could go wrong and once Bobby left the building I'd have to deal with them.

"Relax, I'll only be up there a few hours, and I'll be sitting in a desk chair right next to you the whole time. I'm ready for a change of scenery." She promised.

"Then your chariot awaits." I said sweeping her legs out from under her gently and holding her like a bride in my arms. I took her to the elevator and up to the fifth floor. As soon as we stepped off we were greeted by cheers and the guys swarming around us to welcome her back. She looked happy, but overwhelmed.

I was about to break up the reunion when Binkie called from the back of the room, "If you guys are done goofing off, I've set Steph's work space up in the conference room." That short interruption broke up the welcome wagon and allowed me to walk through to her temporary work station. We put her in the conference room so we could all work from there. Partly it was to keep an eye on her, but we also knew she tended to work through the search programs quicker than we did and the chances were much higher she would find something first that we could act on.

I sat her in the comfortable chair we had moved in just for her and got her attention to say, "Remember, just work as long as you want to, if you get uncomfortable I'll take you back down, and at lunch time you're done regardless. That will give you time to rest up before your Dad brings you dinner tonight." Hopefully knowing she would have a good meal would serve as a motivation for her.

Binkie tugged on a curl before leaving to fill Lester's shift on monitors and she gave him one of her signature finger waves goodbye.

Tank came in and smiled at her, showing us every white tooth in his mouth. "Little Girl! I'm so glad you're here to help us." With that greeting he handed out files and we all got to work. Except for the occasion chair squeaking, keys typing or deep breath, it was quiet for nearly an hour. I was beginning to see double and Les' leg was now shaking at double time showing his impatience at being locked up for the foreseeable future.

I blame the caged feeling we all had with why I jumped and Les momentarily choked on his bubble gum when Stephanie suddenly called out, "I've got it!" and slammed her hand on the table.

Tank spoke first, "You've got the connection between the guys that shot at us, and the guns?"

"That? Sure, I figured that out half an hour ago." She confessed.

"Then what did you just get?" Les asked getting his breath back.

"I know where Binkie should take Alyssa tonight." She confessed as though that were the same project we had all been working on.

"How about I call Binkie in here and you can give him the run down of the evening you have planned for his date, and then would you mind filling us in on the gun connection?" I said trying very hard to control my laughter.

Her instincts were well known by all of us, so it was no surprise that she figured out something quicker than the rest of us, but who knew she could multi-task with the best of them and could not only track down the bad guys, but could act as a social coordinator too. I couldn't wait to hear about the date she had planned. Of course it made me wonder, if she were able to go out, where would I take her? Is this the kind of thing I needed to be able to plan in order to have a relationship with her? Just one more detail that should have been in that manual I never got a copy of.


	10. Eating Together

_JE deserves the credit for creating such wonderful characters._

_Thanks to Jenn (perfectmanhattan) for your tireless work as the Beta on this story. I can't imagine posting without you._

**Chapter 10 – Eating Together **

The guys excused themselves for a break while Binkie sat down next to Stephanie so she could explain the date she had planned out for him tonight. I stayed in the room using the excuse that she might need me, but in reality I just wanted to watch her talk. We all knew better than to make her give us the info on the gunmen until she got the plan out of her system. So I focused on her face and watched her give the details to Binkie of the perfect night she had come up with. I wasn't paying attention to the plan because the way her eyes were dancing with excitement was distracting and the way her mouth maintained a half smile, even while she was talking was fascinating to me.

This woman was like nothing I had ever seen before and I couldn't observe her enough. Yesterday she was upset on her bathroom floor because her mother had insulted her about her thoughtlessness, and today she was bubbling to help out a friend proving herself as someone who tirelessly thought of others. I believed her mother loved her, but I questioned whether she knew her at all.

Binkie stood up and I realized while I was lost in my head that Stephanie was staring at me with an unreadable expression. "I'll be back." I caught the end of Binkie's voice as he left the room.

"You are great to do that for him," I told her wanting her to understand how much it meant that she wanted to help us.

She shrugged off my compliment as though it was nothing. "I had fun thinking about ideas based on what he's told me about Alyssa."

"But you didn't have to do it, I know he appreciates it." I explained, as I moved into the empty seat beside her at the chance to be closer.

She put her hand on my forearm and looked at me like there was something she wanted to say, but she didn't know how to begin. I waited and finally gave into my own curiosity and impatience and asked, "What?"

She began to smile just as the guys came in. I was thrilled that she didn't move her hand from my arm when they sat down around the table waiting for her to share what she discovered so quickly. I tried to resist the urge to puff up my chest in pride that she was touching me but I guess I didn't completely succeed because Lester threw a paper clip at me while mumbling "show off" under a fake sneeze.

I covered my mouth to hide the smile that wouldn't leave and focused on Stephanie instead as she seemed to be wisely ignoring Santos.

"I noticed the guys you caught all lived within a three block area of each other and remembered that it was the same neighborhood that Edward Thomas had just moved to when we got his file." The smile was gone from my face now that she brought up the man who shot her at close range just a few short weeks ago.

"But, then I noticed one of them had the last name Barrentios, which was the same as a cousin of Maria's." She continued.

"How did you know Maria had a cousin with that last name?" Tank asked impressed with the connections she had made so far.

"I pulled her up first thinking if there was a connection between Miami and Trenton it might be her." She said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, the guys live closer to her than to Stark Street, and since most of Lopez's guys live in his territory, I found it highly doubtful that the gunmen would work for him. If one of them is related to Maria, and they live closer to her section of town, my guess is they are Alonzo's guys."

"But why were they there? If they were to protect the shipment, why didn't they take out the ATF agents?" Santos asked.

"I don't know, but I can think of two scenarios that make sense." She offered.

"Lay it on us," Tank encouraged, leaning forward eagerly.

"First, Alonzo may have sent them to take out Ranger in the off chance that he was there. Ranger's been making trouble for him and he seems to think that RangeMan is interfering with his business so they were stationed in a way to be unnoticed by ATF, because they were not there in relation to the shipment, but as soon as the law enforcement presence was gone, they moved in to take out Cal and Hector who they could see."

"So, retaliation for the message we sent to his sister?" I asked thinking it was completely possible.

"Maybe," She agreed. "Or it could have been that they didn't want the arms to be transferred either."

"What?" Santos asked, clearly confused. "They need the guns to make the money, so why wouldn't they want the deal to go through?"

"Think about it, Alonzo brings the weapons into Trenton, and then has Lopez store them for a period of time long enough to get local interest. Then he has Lopez transfer them to boats which could ship them to Miami, or any other port city to sell them at a profit. But, why does he need Lopez? Why not just bring them in the county directly to the city he wants to distribute them? It seemed like he wanted Lopez to take the fall with ATF as a distraction. My gut tells me he has no interest in these guns going anywhere but Trenton. This whole exchange was a distraction to keep us focused on Lopez, but I'm betting he has more stored somewhere. Maybe he intended to deal arms in Miami so he set this up to take the heat off his movements there." She suggested.

Tank said, "Shit," and picked up his cell phone hitting a number on speed dial.

"Boss, our Little Girl has found the connection. The guys we secured last night were Alonzo's not Lopez's." There was a pause before he added, "Yea, and she's got a good theory about why he had them there." After another brief silence, "That, or because he was creating a distraction and he is really dealing the guns himself either here, or more likely in Miami. The whole thing was a set up to keep our attention here, only focusing our questions on guns in Trenton." He smiled at something Ranger said, I doubted it was a joke, so he must have picked up how possible Steph's theory was. "Will do," He said before shutting his phone ending the call.

I glanced at Steph who appeared to be interested, but her eyes had narrowed marginally. I leaned over to her and said softly, "See, we all need that phone manners course." She smiled at my remembrance of her complaint over my lack of etiquette in disconnecting a phone call and leaned her head in my direction removing most of the distance between us.

Tank cleared his throat getting our attention and saying, "Ranger thinks that is a highly likely theory and his team in down there will start looking for an influx of weapons in the Miami area. In the meantime we need to get on the street and see if there are still weapons being dealt around here in case there is something we're missing on this."

Santos jumped up and walked out first. He had the most contacts on the street so it made sense he would be the first one out there. He also had the hardest time sitting still so he usually jumped at any chance to get out of the office. Tank had Steph walk him through the connections on paper for the gunmen and Alonzo so we could have a complete file ready if the feds needed it later.

When he left, it was just Binkie, Steph and I. If I had my way Binkie would take a hint and leave too, but he seemed to be clueless about what I might want. He thanked Steph again for the suggestions for his date and said he was able to get a reservation at the new restaurant across town. I felt Steph' s hand go back on my arm and my eyes went to where we were touching, mesmerized by the thought that she wanted to keep contact between us. It gave me hope that perhaps the dream I had last night about her feelings was true after all.

When I looked up again I saw Binkie smiling at me and he stood up with little attempt to tap into any acting skills he might possess and announced, "Well, I'll leave you two all alone and go call Alyssa to confirm for tonight and give her a few hints about what we'll be doing. I'll shut the door behind myself."

It was nearing lunch time so I said, "I believe it's time for me to take your apartment for lunch and a little rest." I stood up and began to bend over to pick her up when she held her hand up to stop me.

I straightened up looking as confused as I felt. "I can walk to the elevator, but I may need to lean on you a little. If we go slow enough I'll be alright." She said before standing up with only a small grimace on her face when the pain went through her side as she used the muscles to stand up."

"Lean on me anytime you need to, Steph," I told her wishing she would do it for more than just a hand to steady her when walking. She took my outstretched hand and intertwined our fingers. It was a more intimate way to hold hands than we had done in the hospital and it wasn't until she started moving forward that I snapped out of my distracted state to keep up with her. Passing by the control room to get to the elevator, several of the guys came over to speak to her again. They had all missed her and I hoped the support she was being shown was helpful instead of overwhelming.

We made it to her apartment and as she unlocked her door I noticed she was breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. When we got in I moved a stool from her bar and sat her on it suggesting she sit for a minute to get her breathing under control before it got away from her. She nodded and didn't argue which was a relief. Steph wasn't know as the greatest patient and I didn't want to make her mad by assuming I knew what was best and forcing it on her.

After a few minutes she took one longer breath and then nodded that she was okay now. She walked slower to the kitchen and pulled out something from the fridge and began shaking it before popping off the lid and taking a drink. She made a face that told me she didn't approve of the flavor.

"What is that?" I asked guiding her to a chair at the nearby table.

"It's a high protein shake full of all the vitamins and minerals I need plus a little gravel and dirt for texture and taste enhancement." She joked.

"Why are you drinking it?" I wondered knowing she was clear to eat anything she wanted as long as she took small bites and was slow enough to reduce the chance of her choking.

I'm slow at eating, and usually give up way before I'm done, so this gives me everything my body needs then I finish off the meal with real food. I opened her fridge and looked for some 'real food' but didn't see much. I banged around in her cabinets and came up with a can of tomato soup and the makings of a grilled cheese. I took the can from her hand and sat it down asking if she could wait a few minutes to try something first. She nodded, ever curious, and tried watching me from her seat.

It only took a few minutes for me to bring a grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup to her. "Here," I said picking up half of the sandwich and breaking off a piece. I took the small piece in my fingers and dropped it in her bowl before pushing it around with the spoon for a few minutes. Satisfied the bread had absorbed enough soup to soften it and re-melt the cheese I scooped it up and held it out for her to taste it.

She looked at the spoon skeptically, but opened her mouth and allowed me to feed it to her. She chewed slowly, exactly as she had been told to and swallowed tentatively before a small smile came over her face.

"That works," She said sounding surprised and breaking off a piece of similar size to drop in herself. I surrendered the spoon and smiled that I had helped her have some solid food for a change. I wondered what her mother had planned and hoped she came up with something filling and easy enough for Steph to eat so that she could skip the shake she obviously hated.

I let her take a few bites and then volunteered, "My mom used to make this on evenings when she and dad had meetings that would take them back to school. It was her hurry up dinner. She only half cooked the sandwich saying if we dipped it in the hot soup, it would finish melting the cheese. I didn't realize most people at them separately until I was in the service."

She sat back in her chair absorbing the little detail about my past as though it were the most fascinating story she'd ever heard. Steph had a way of making you feel like whatever you were saying was worth her full attention. Maybe that's why I seemed to talk so much around her. Strangely enough right now I was the talker in this relationship which was a role I had never played.

I decided to throw down the challenge and see if she would answer my questions as I had hers yesterday.

"So, is now a good time for me to ask you my three questions?" I said out of the blue making her eyes get slightly bigger in surprise and a sly smile cross her lips.

"Give it your best shot," She baited me apparently more than happy to answer anything I wanted her to.

"You love food, but you don't cook." I stated as a fact. Her misadventures in the kitchen were the thing legends were made of. "Why not?" I wondered this for a long time.

"I'm no good at it," She said bluntly with no apology or embarrassment in her voice. "When I was in Junior High my mom spent a lot of time trying to make me cook. She told me I had to learn if I was ever going to get married and keep my husband happy. The more she told me I had to do it to keep a man happy, the less interest I had. Eventually she gave up trying and I never asked her for help again. There are times I would like to be able to go in the kitchen and make a cake or cookies when I have a craving for them, but not enough to endure the lectures from my mom about how she tried for years to teach me and I was too stubborn to listen."

"So you rejected cooking because she tried to force it on you to catch a husband, not because she wanted to teach you something that she enjoyed and that you might learn to take pleasure in too?" I summed it up receiving a nod I was right on. That made perfect sense.

I let the next question come out a little on the blunt side and felt badly about it once I said, "So what's the deal between you and Ranger?"

She sat back hard against her chair and I noticed her sandwich was gone and most of her soup was too. She suggested we move to the couch if she was going to try and answer that question. I sat down on the end of the couch first and was pleased when she sat down next to me instead of at the opposite corner. Our arms were touching lightly and I could catch the scent of her shampoo from where I was sitting. She was intoxicating and I needed to focus on her words right now, not her smell.

"When I started as a BEA Ranger was my mentor. He only agreed to help me as a favor to Connie, but I was desperate for help so I had to accept anything he would offer. He tried to talk me out of going after Joe, but he answered my questions and offered advice every time I asked. After a while he quit trying to talk me out of this line of work and began supporting me instead. So when I think of Ranger, I always think of the first person to support me and believe that I could do this. He's given me jobs when I needed money, cars when I needed a ride and protection when I was in danger. Along the side of this we've always had this connection."

That feeling in the pit of my stomach was back. Maybe this wasn't such a good question. Did I really want to know how connected they had been? Was there a way for me to interrupt her if she told me more than I could handle knowing?

"When he is close by I can sense it. I get this strange feeling on the back of my neck like I'm being watched in a way that is unique to him. And, it's only fair to admit that we have chemistry but I think it's the kind that develops when there is something you can't have. There was a saint that said we always want what is just beyond our reach and I think we look at each other as unattainable. When I was with Joe, Ranger would touch me and sometimes kiss me, but when Joe and I would break up Ranger would disappear. I only seemed to be safe if there was the buffer of a relationship in my life to set the boundaries. I have to admit, I was getting tired of it, but since no one else seemed to want me, I figured my mother was right so I didn't say anything. I know Ranger's biggest fear was that something would happen to me because of his enemies or his past and no amount of talking on my part would have convinced him otherwise. So, I guess we're good friends, co-workers and anything else that might have been has to be let go because Ranger has always been very clear with me that we could not have a relationship." She seemed to think her description was complete.

"So that day at the hospital, when he left," I began seeing her nod that she remembered. "You were upset about him leaving." I didn't know how to phrase what I wanted to know, but she must have understood because she answered me.

"I was upset because he left because of me. Had I not gotten hurt he would still be here in him home, running his business and living in his apartment upstairs. He didn't give me a chance to react, he just told me he was leaving and doubted he would return and he was doing it to keep me safe. It seems like such a noble gesture, but it was taking away my choices when I felt like I had no control over my life as it was. I couldn't even breathe on my own and he was walking away without asking if I thought he needed to do that." She explained.

So she was angry at him, not crying over a lost love, but upset that he was forcing his will on her life by leaving. I didn't know how to feel about that, but I knew I was relieved. Thinking that she was in love with Ranger had convinced me there was no chance I could ever have a relationship with her, but knowing she had resigned herself to the idea that they couldn't be a couple began to grow the seed of hope that had been planted earlier.

She took a deep breath like she was thinking over a bittersweet memory, but not looking at it sadly. "What's your last question?" She asked turning to look at me closer.

I hadn't actually thought of a third question, but when she turned to face me I asked, "Why are you so good to us? So accepting?"

"Because you all are my family," She began. I tried to keep my face neutral to stop her from seeing the disappointment at being lumped in with everyone else as 'family.' "You have helped me and protected me more times than I can count, and as I've gotten to know everybody, I've been amazed at how truly wonderful you are. The guys are my friends and I treat them like I would any of my friends. It's the only way I know. Besides, I could easily turn that question around and ask why you all are so good to me." She summed up.

Then I did it, I opened my mouth and showed how limber I was by inserting my size twelve boot right in there by saying, "I can't speak for the other guys, but I know I'm no where near as good to you as you deserve."

That put the fire in her eyes and she said, "But you do more for me than anyone else." I liked that she thought I did, even if it weren't entirely true.

"I think Brown does more to take care of you than I do," I disagreed with her.

"No, Bobby, is taking care of me because he's paid to, and he is my friend, but he is just taking care of my body and my injuries." She tried to point out the difference. "You may not come in to check my vitals or my incisions, but you have been caring for things Bobby would never think of." She told me staring in my eyes almost willing me to understand and I tried, but I just didn't grasp what she meant.

"No one else understood that I was trying to communicate in the hospital until the ventilator came out, but you did. Even after that, everybody wanted me to write my answers but you kept trying to listen to me without making me spell it out for you. And, then there are things like I know where my dinner tonight is coming from and I know how she came to 'volunteer' to cook for me." She said implicating my partner as the leak in out mission's objective.

I looked away as she finished, "You realize you are the first person to ask me what I want and then go out of your way to help me get it. Plus, just being around you calms me down. When I'm having trouble getting enough air and my throat feels like it's closing with every breath, all I need to do is hold your hand and I feel strong enough to work through the panic and get in control. And this morning, you were willing to let me work, because you believed I could contribute. You've always believed in me. Sometimes I think it's you that you need to believe in a little more."

That got my attention, "What do you mean?"

"You're quiet, not because you don't have anything to say. I'm guessing it's because you don't think about how much people want to know what you're thinking. It's like you sell yourself short. Binkie comes down here beside himself talking about your instincts, your aim, your cool in every situation, but you come down and just say the op went well. It's like you don't realize how vital you are to everyone you are around." She said as her voice began to get gravely and rough sounding. The passion of her words was causing her to talk louder and it was putting a strain on her chords. I wanted her to say more but knew I couldn't let her right now. She would heal over time and we could pick this up another day.

I pushed some hair away from her face and told her, "You're getting horse, so let's finish this another time. You promised Bobby you'd rest."

She rolled her eyes like she were a petulant toddler refusing to take a nap. "We can finish this later," She began softening her voice, "But I know you are just using this convenient excuse to keep me from talking about you."

I threw her a bone and said, "Yup, but I'm still right about your throat, aren't I?"

She nodded silently and then pulled her head back slightly before running her fingers through my hair. It felt like heaven. When I was growing up we had a dog, an English Springer named Taylor. He would sit at my feet while I was working on homework or playing video games and every so often I would reach over and pet his head. Each time I touched him he would let out a contended sign and I thought it was funny that he like being touched so much that he couldn't control himself. When Steph touched me I suddenly felt like Taylor and had to swallow to keep a similar sound from escaping my throat.

"You need a haircut," She told me continuing to run her fingers through from the front at my hairline all the way to the back, then she would pull out her hand move it back to the front and do it again. I smiled at her hint that I my hair needed a little attention and gave into the urge and shut my eyes leaning the back of my head against the cushion on the couch.

"I'll see what I can do," I told her while enjoying the sensation of her touch. She continued her ministrations and only stopped to touch my cheek where I had a faint scar. Most of the guys assumed it was from an op or some army adventure, but in truth it was from an accident when Peter and I were kids. He was being a pirate and had a toy sword which he got too close to my face when trying to make me walk the plank. I refused to jump off the back of my dad's truck into the sea of the back yard so he tried to threaten me with the sword, cutting my face. My mother was furious and that was the last time we played together that I can remember. After that, Peter said I was too much of a baby and refused to let me join in his games.

I told her the story without opening my eyes so when I finished I decided to take a peek and she had that expression where she was totally absorbed in what she was hearing. For the brief two minutes it took to tell her my story, I was the center of her attention and I loved it. I loved her. Shit, it was getting easier to admit that to myself. I just hoped she would be gentle when it came time to let me down. I don't think anyone had ever controlled my heart like Stephanie did and I wasn't sure what would happen when the time came that she no longer wanted it.

We talked some more before Steph leaned against me squirming around trying to get comfortable. She eventually settled with her head in my lap giving me access to her hair to run my own hands through it. Her eyes were closed and even though I didn't think she was asleep she did seem to trust me enough to relax and let her guard down. I usually hated down time with nothing to occupy my time. I wanted to be doing something, and if I had no task to keep me busy I usually headed to the gym or the range. I smiled at the idea of reminding Steph of her promise in the hospital to let me teach her to shoot. It wasn't so much of a promise as it was her agreeing that she might not hate her gun so much if she could trust that she could make a bullet go exactly where she wanted it to, but still I was going to try and get her to see it my way.

Steph pulled me from my thoughts by saying my name so I looked at her and smiled. Her eyes narrowed trying to figure out what my expression meant, but her phone rang interrupting us. The front desk was calling to let us know Mr. Plum had just dropped off her dinner. I volunteer to pick it up so I left promising to return in just a few minutes. It was hard to believe we had spent the last five hours talking and sitting together.

Les was standing at the front desk with Woody who was holding a box that had various Tupperware dishes in it containing Steph's dinner. "You deliver?" Les asked when I came around the corner.

"Shut up Santos," I bit back hoping he wouldn't try and take advantage of the moment and rag on me with Steph out of earshot.

"Are we all invited to this little scene of domestic bliss?" He pressed.

"Absolutely not. This reservation was only for two." I promptly replied hoping he didn't call Steph and invite himself. She could never say no to Lester.

"Man there's enough food here to feed an army, you've got to at least let me taste a little before you take it up." He tried one more time. "That way, you can have Stephanie all to yourself."

I was about to shoot him down again but he decided to try and press his advantage by saying, "Of course you've had her all to yourself the last few nights and haven't had any trouble figuring out what to do. "

"I'm warning you, man," I began, not wanting Les to take this any further. I'd always liked him and had spent my fair share of time laughing at his crude jokes, but knowing he was talking about Steph was hooking something in my temper that I couldn't rein in.

"Relax man no matter how much I might want to, I'm not moving in on you. Even though right now as far as I'm concerned she is the perfect woman; she's beautiful, smart and can't talk much. Just remember she isn't supposed to use her voice so you have to give the girl a break and don't do anything to make her want to scream." He baited me.

It's almost like he was waiting to see what response I would give him, because when I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and rammed him into the wall he didn't seem surprised. Woody pulled me off of Santos quickly as Les put his hands out in front of him. "Calm down man, I didn't believe it when Bobby said you had a thing for Beautiful, but now I can see you're serious about her. I've never gotten you riled up enough to go after me before so just remember, as long as you're good to her I've got your back, but if you hurt her I'll remind you why Ranger always lets me go first when we're entering a room." He threatened.

"Yea, get in line," I responded feeling slightly bad about trying to rough him up. "But before you start telling everybody something that isn't true, the morning scenes you've walked in on isn't what it looks like. She wanted me close to her, but nothing has happened. She doesn't think about me like that," I told him battling to keep my voice even.

"I don't know where your head is, but from where I was sitting in the conference room this morning, she didn't have eyes for anyone but you. I think you've been looking at the barrel of your gun too long man, because that woman most certainly isn't thinking about you as just one of the guys. Trust me I've seen that look," He said coming closer and dropping his voice, "And most of us would give just about anything to have Steph give it to us." And with that bit of dating advice from Lester Santos, ladies man, I quickly picked up the box of food and headed back upstairs.

Steph had managed to set the table while I was gone and she was sitting on a stool talking to Binkie when I walked in. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" I asked looking at my partner in blue jeans and a green button up shirt that he hadn't tucked in.

"I'm going, I just stopped by to ask Steph a few questions, but I've got all my answers so I'll leave you two to have dinner. Have fun," He called over his shoulder after giving Steph a kiss on her cheek.

I sat the box down and watched as Stephanie pulled containers out. Mrs. Plum had made a meatloaf and topped it with a sweetened tomato sauce. She sent along mashed potatoes and baked apples with cinnamon that had been cooked until they were literally falling apart. She even sent a dish of chocolate pudding and a separate container of whipped cream to go on top. Les was right; there was enough food here to feed an army. Maybe I should have let him come up and eat. Just as that thought was passing through my mind Steph dipped her finger in the whipped cream and put it in her mouth to lick it off. When she pulled it out she closed her eyes and moaned slightly. Screw Les, let him get his own dinner.

I adjusted my pants as discretely as I could and thanked my lucky stars I hadn't opened my fat mouth and let him tag along.

She gladly shared her dinner with me and I had to admit Mrs. Plum had done a great job of making a delicious meal that was easy for Steph to enjoy. When we finished I began to gather the dishes to wash them. Steph tried to object that I didn't need to do that and asserted that she was perfectly capable of cleaning the kitchen. I picked her up and sat her on the cabinet handing her a dish towel, "Here, you can dry," I said with a smile.

Instead she took the first opportunity when I turned my back to her to use the towel to pop my ass. I couldn't believe she had done that. I dipped my hand in the dish water and flicked my fingers in her direction spraying water in her face. She half squealed in return and put her hands up in surrender. I took the towel from her hand pretending to be upset about her assaulting me but used it to gently wipe the droplets of water and suds off her face. I was standing between her legs leaning into the counter and when I was finished I didn't want to move so I pretended to find a few droplets that didn't exist just to give myself the chance to keep touching her.

I realized I had stretched this as far as I could so I sat the towel down and said, "Truce?"

She took my hands in hers and repeated, "Truce." I was nervous and excited when she didn't drop my hand but began to rub it gently with hers instead. It felt like it did when we were at the hospital and instead of me encouraging her, she was encouraging me. Unfortunately I wasn't sure what she was encouraging me to do. It felt like there was electricity in the air and I fought every instinct in my body to keep from kissing her. Unless I was positive it was what she wanted, I couldn't allow myself to do that. I couldn't ruin what we had by jumping someplace she didn't want me to be.

I couldn't pull myself away from her eyes and once again it felt like they were drawing me to her. Just as I noticed her beginning to move closer to me there was a knock at the door. I stiffened and then stepped aside. "Go ahead and answer it," She told me clearly disappointed about something, "Whoever it is won't go away until you do."

Woody was at the door looking very uncomfortable when I opened it. He was holding an envelope and held it out to me when I fixed him with a stare. "Mr. Plum dropped this off, but it fell out of the box when you lifted it up." He explained. I felt bad for taking out my frustration on Woody. He didn't know what he just interrupted. "Thanks, man, I'll give it to her." I promised before shutting and locking the door. Not that it would keep any of the guys out if they wanted in, but it made me feel better to at least know I was slowing them down.

I brought the letter to her and suggested I would go to my place and take a shower and change, then I'd come back in an hour or so, giving her time to read her letter with some privacy and we could read some more of our book if she wanted. As soon as I said I was coming back her face lit up. I touched her cheek where the color had just appeared and assured her I'd be back as quick as I could.

Back in my apartment I didn't know what to do first. I jumped in the shower and cleaned up with military efficiency. When I was done I looked at my face in the mirror. There was no need to shave just to go to bed, but I wondered how Steph felt about whiskers so I found myself wetting my brush and rubbing it over the soap to make lather. I know most of the guys used cream in a can, but my dad taught me to shave like this, and I had always preferred the old fashioned way.

Looking at myself in the mirror I said aloud, "What are doing? There is no way Stephanie Plum is interested in you." I bore a close resemblance to my father including his naturally darker skin. I looked like I'd spent all summer playing in the sun even if I stayed inside. I had his brown eyes, which several people had called nice, but I always thought my best feature was the fact my nose was smaller than my fathers. Maybe it was more relief that it was smaller than his, than finding it ruggedly good looking.

I usually kept my hair short, a quarter inch all over, military style, but Steph was right, I did need a hair cut. It was brown, much the same color of Stephanie's, but when I looked closer there were a few lighter strands begging to appear. When I got right up to the mirror I realized I couldn't call them lighter strands, they were gray. I was only two years older than she was and I already had grey hair. There's no way she could be interested in me.

Other than the scar she discovered on my cheek there was nothing exemplary about my face, but my mother liked to point out I had dimples on both cheeks. I hadn't seen them in years, but I assumed they weren't something you outgrew. My face was perfect for a sniper. You needed a face that didn't stand out as being excessively handsome or grotesque. You needed to be forgettable, able to do your assignment and then blend into a crowd to escape. I had done it many times so I assumed I fit the bill to a tee.

A sniper. That's right I'm a sniper, another point that works against me. There is no denying that I've killed people. I've hidden in the shadows and waited for the perfect moment to take the life of a person I've never met just because I was ordered to do so. I never regretted my job, but thinking of my past beside Stephanie didn't fit. She needed to be around someone with a purer heart, like her own. I only brought a cloudy past and sins so great I wouldn't even confess them to my brother. She shouldn't be around me. I was old enough that this is who I was; there was no changing me now.

Looking at myself in the mirror like this I couldn't imagine anything that would attract her to me. "Face it old man," I said aloud. This is a lost cause. I finished shaving as quickly as I could and splashed on some Jamaican Rum after shave before tossing on some shorts and a t-shirt. I didn't bother with shoes this time; I just grabbed my keys and headed over to her place.

By the time I knocked I had gotten over my snit and plastered a smile on my face trying to portray a comfort I didn't feel. She opened the door with a look of joy on her face but the second she saw my expression her happiness dissipated. She sized me up with a careful gaze before grabbing the front of my shirt with both her hands and pulling me in her apartment.

"Get in here, Ram," She commanded as though refusing were not an option being given to me at the moment. "You need to listen to me."

Why did I just feel like I got caught hitting a home run though the stain glassed window of a church? I knew I should be nervous about what she was about to say, but I had trouble reminding my brain of that when she was handling me so forcefully. Whatever she wanted to tell me, she certainly had my full attention.

_A/N: Special thanks to Amy (Amer3) for her suggestion of Les' comment that Ram can't do anything to make Steph scream. You guys are so great with your encouragement and suggestions!_


	11. Good Nights

_JE owns the characters. I deserve no credit._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) once again your Beta skills save the day. Thank you for all your hard work on this story._

**Chapter 11 – Good Nights**

I stood there in the foyer of her apartment at a loss as to why she was upset.

"Edmund Ramsey, what were doing next door?" She demanded. Shit, she sounded like my mother after she found some magazines under my mattress when I was in high school. There are some things a seventeen year old boy just can't explain.

I snapped back to the present and told her the truth, "I was just thinking."

She took my hand and led me to the couch to sit down, pulling me closely beside her. "What were you thinking about?"

"I was taking an honest look at myself and my life and what I have to offer." I told her, realizing a little too late that I might be disclosing too much.

"When you left," Her voice was much calmer now, "I was so excited about you coming back to my apartment. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that something was about to happen in the kitchen and we were finally going to stop fighting this...whatever it is that we have between us, but now your face is set at though you're here to resist anything life might be offering you, and I don't like it one bit.

She hit that nail right on the head, but I certainly didn't want to admit that to her. "I just remembered who I am and what I've done, and it doesn't really fit with your life."

"Shit Ram, Do you honestly think that your past bothers me?" She demanded with a fighting edge in her voice again.

"I don't know," Lord knows she has enough crazies after her on any given day and she does hang out with us. "Maybe you don't realize everything that's in my past. I don't want my life to cloud yours."

"And why would that happen?" She pressed.

"Because you're innocent. You have no desire to hurt someone else. Hell even when you've killed somebody to save your own life, you still mourned the loss of theirs." I'd rarely even given my victims a second glance.

"And you think because you were a sniper and you've killed people that it somehow gives you the right to tell me how close I should or shouldn't be to you?" She said as though she just scored a point.

"I think that even if you justify it as something that I did in my past while I was still going on active missions, it will one day hit you that I'm still being called upon to take people out as a mercenary. I can't change who I am or what I've been trained to do. I'm good at it, and I do it because it needs to be done, but with every life I take I still loose a small piece of my humanity." I tried explaining, hoping she would let this go.

"So you think I would want to change you into something you're not?" She tried to clarify.

"I think the only way you could be around me for very long is if you tried to convince yourself that I am capable of changing." I confessed.

"You underestimate me," She said in a calculated way. "I have told you about my past relationships and why they failed. If I thought someone was trying to make me into someone I didn't want to be, I would shut down. When my mother tried to teach me to cook I refused to listen just because she tried to force it on me. If I fight someone trying to make me into their image of who I should be, then why would you assume I would turn around and do the same thing to you?" She explained.

I had no answer to that. She was right on every point. We all knew Steph had never tried to improve or alter us in any way. And the reason we trusted her is because she had proven herself to us over the past few years. We saw how she fought it when other people tried to change her and we admired her for holding her ground and refusing to give in.

"But you don't know all I've done," I said as my only defense.

She put her hand back in my hair like it had been earlier and said, "No, and I'll never know the full burden you have been asked to carry for this country. But I know it was a heavy burden and a lesser man could never have risen up to the challenge and defended those of us who needed it. I know that you've been asked to do things other people could not or would not do because they needed to be done. I know you've sacrificed and given of yourself for years for your country, your family and your friends and you've never really been thanked for it. And if you think that I want to change you into a lesser man who would give up the responsibility you shoulder, then you haven't gotten to know me at all over the last few weeks. If that's what you think, the door's right there." She waited, closing her eyes, giving me the chance to leave and walk away.

Even if I'd wanted to walk out, I couldn't do it. My legs wouldn't work. Hell I don't think I could move any of my muscles because all my energy was going to keep my heart pumping at twice its normal speed. Was she telling me she admired me? That she wanted me as I was, and didn't want to change me into someone presentable to the general public?

"I'm not good with this Steph. I don't talk much, but when I'm around you I can't seem to stop. I'm not good with emotions, but when I'm around you I seem to feel things I can't identify. I don't do fear, but when I look at what I can offer I'm afraid it's not enough. I'm afraid of you seeing me for who I am and realizing that you deserve so much better, yet every time we're together I reveal more and more of who I really am. Tell me what to do." There was a pleading edge to my voice I didn't even try to control.

Her eyes opened and the ocean of emotion that was there overwhelmed me. "Do you think I'm damaged? Are you afraid to get too close?" She asked lifting her chin up slightly in a challenging way.

I kept my eyes on hers. As much as I wanted to escape her careful inspection of me, I couldn't turn away from her eyes. Her soul was there and I had never seen something so pure and so beautiful in my life. "I think you are perfect just the way you are," I told her honestly. "And as for being afraid, no I'm not worried about getting too close to you, I'm worried that you won't want me there."

Her eyes got an even deeper shade of blue as they dilated slightly at the meaning behind my words. She took my hand and held it briefly in hers before moving it and placing it just above the scooped neckline of her tank top over her heart. "I want you here," She said with her full voice.

I put my free hand against her face with my fingertips on her neck and my thumb and palm on her check. She pressed my hand against her chest before taking her hand away to put it on my face. I was drawn to her and felt my body moving forward almost of its own free will. She moved toward me at the same slow pace as me and when we were a mere inch from each other we stopped, to just breathe in the same air and feel the tension between us grow. I didn't doubt that she wanted me to kiss her, and I certainly wanted to do it, but there was something delicious about this moment that I wanted to drag out.

The yearning to be closer to her was nearly overwhelming and I'm not entirely sure who moved the inch to close the gap between us, but when our lips met I know I was the one who moaned. Her lips were so soft against mine. When my tongue touched her upper lip she opened her mouth to allow me in. She was just as eager as I was to deepen our contact, but I tried to remind myself of her ribs and keep it slow. I had forgotten how erotic kissing someone could be. My contact with women over the last few years had centered on sex and kissing was only a part of it that it got me to my end goal. I didn't consider it an important part, just a necessary act.

How wrong I had been. Kissing Stephanie was complete in itself. Our tongues caressed, our lips met, our teeth grazed each other and I couldn't get enough. The energy fluctuated between fast and hard and then was followed by tender and slow. I knew my breathing was beginning to get ragged and I was suddenly aware that it might be difficult for Stephanie so I slowed down and pulled back only marginally. She objected immediately by pulling me back to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "How is your breathing?"

"It was fine until you moved away." She replied, allowing me to move closer again and joining us once more. I lost myself in her. Pressed against her mouth I didn't find her frail or weak. She was taking charge of the kiss and deepening it and I was loving it. I could feel her, smell her, and taste her and the effect was overloading my senses. I'd never had someone in my arms and felt a connection like this. I'd spent so much time listening to her without her speaking a word that I could feel her joy everywhere we touched. Somehow she was blind to my faults and only saw the man who adored her. Until I kissed her I had no idea how deeply I cared for her. I knew I was attracted and drawn to her, but hell, half of RangeMan could say the same thing. After our mouths touched, I knew this wasn't just attraction. I was in love with her. The fierceness of just how much surprised me.

I don't know how long we sat on the sofa pushing and pulling, trying to memorize each other and capture this moment forever. She finally pulled back just enough to put her forehead against mine. I could feel her breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth and I knew she was working to keep her throat relaxed. I put my hands in her hair and spoke to her gently. "I'm right here Steph, just take your time and relax. You can do this."

It only took a minute or two for her to nod that she was okay. I needed the reminder that she wasn't entirely well, and even though she obviously had a lot of fight in her, she wasn't ready for so much physical activity. "Bed?" I asked thinking of pulling her in my arms and sleeping.

She surprised me by saying, "Ram! You know I'm not well enough for that yet. But maybe I need to talk to Tristan about stepping up my therapy; I've got a new motivation to get better now."

I laughed a genuine deep in my stomach at her mock offense that I would suggest sex at this moment. She was perfect and for whatever reason she seemed to want to be with me. I was done fighting. She had broken down the last of my defenses and I surrendered completely to her. The relief of knowing she might feel the same way about me gave me a joy that I couldn't contain. I don't remember ever having felt so lighthearted before.

I stood up realizing she did need to rest and scooped her up in my arms. "I can walk," She said, but it was almost whispered and her hands went to my hair so I didn't feel the need to put her down.

"I know you can, but tonight I need to carry you." I confessed.

"Why?" She asked relaxing her head against my neck.

"Because I want to take care of you, to protect you, and I think now is the perfect time for us to try and go to sleep." I tried explaining.

For once in my life the idea of going to bed with someone, but not having sex wasn't a disappointment, it was perfect. There would be plenty of time for that when she was cleared for normal activities. Besides, if kissing her was any indication, I would need to rest up before we took this any further. Something told me it would be a dream come true and since I couldn't remember ever having sex with someone when it including loving them too I was curious to see how it changed things. If I thought kissing her was erotic and complete I couldn't imagine burying myself in her.

Shit, now I had to climb into bed with her with the evidence of my thoughts clearly on display. There was no way I could get myself calm before she spooned up against me. At least she would realize the effect she had on me. I just hoped she took it as a compliment and didn't think I was a sick pig who needed to be exiled to my apartment.

I placed her gently in the bed and she rolled over to give me room, but stayed facing me. I laid down beside her and found that I couldn't resist touching her. Now that we had moved to a more intimate place I needed to stay connected.

She took my hand in hers and said, "I don't want to talk, but I want you to listen."

Huh? I looked at her eyes to see if she would offer any other explanation and realized what she meant. We didn't need words. Our relationship began when she couldn't talk and we had perfected a form of silent communication. She wanted me to listen to her heart and for that we didn't need to talk. I felt her love for me. I felt her pride in who I was, but when I felt her gratitude for what she thought I was doing for her I couldn't bear anymore. I felt like she had the tables turned and those were all the things I needed to tell her.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind she moved closer and kissed me again, lightly, not allowing me to pull her closer. When she had my full attention teasing my mouth with hers she pulled back and said, "No, you don't get to diminish my feelings. I know who you are and that is who I want. I want it all, your past, your stubborn need to be in control, your defensive side, your soft side, your tender heart, your skills with a gun, and the way you listen to me like no one else ever has. It's all of that that makes me love you."

She loves me? I didn't imagine that did I? I needed to say something, but this kind of conversation wasn't my strong suit. I kissed her instead and moved my lips to her ear to say, "I didn't want to love you because I thought you deserved so much more, but this is a battle I can't win."

She tightened her grip on my hand and said, "Don't stop, don't fight it, don't control it. Just love me and let me show you over the years to come how strongly I feel about you and who you are. You deserve just as much as I do, Ram." She added another of her tender kisses.

I rolled her on her back being careful to keep my weight off of her. I wanted to tell her how I felt, but the words wouldn't come out. It's not that I didn't feel it, but saying 'I love you' seemed too easy, too simple a response for how I really felt. I'd always been a man of action so I brought my mouth back to hers to show her what I was feeling. It wasn't enough, but it was all I could give her at the moment.

Our breathing was getting heavy and I knew we needed to slow down before she began to struggle. I pulled back and moved us so that we could get some sleep. She molder her body against me and we drifted off together, never allowing the contact to break through the night.

The next time I was up I heard a camera snapping and my eyes shot open. Les was standing there with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Santos, what in the hell are you doing in here?" I asked trying to keep my voice soft enough to not startle Steph.

"I just came in to be sure she was alright. It's 6:30 and we hadn't heard a sound yet. But when I saw you too sleeping you looked different somehow. I might have believed you yesterday when you said nothing had happened between you two, but there is no way I would buy that crock now. It's written all over her face." He teased.

I glanced at her quickly and noticed she did seem to have a certain glow, even sleeping that had not been on her face previously. I loved the idea that I put it there.

Surprising Les, I told him, "I want a copy of that picture by lunch."

It is rare to see him speechless, but he stumbled through a few sounds before saying, "Sure," and walking out.

At least I didn't have to worry about how we would tell the guys. I had a feeling Santos would take care of that for us. I brushed a few wild curls off her face so that I could see her clearly. When she spoke it told me she'd been awake for a while, "I want a copy of the picture too. I need to know what all the guys will be looking at in their inboxes this morning."

"Good morning," I told her, choosing to ignore her opinion that all the guys would get a copy of us in bed together. "Are you ready to get up?"

"No, but I need to. I've got to talk to Tristan and then I need to get in touch with Binkie to find out about his date." She told me.

"I'll tell Bobby that you want to talk to Tristan, he can get in touch with him for you. I'll send Binkie down when I see him in the gym." I told her, pleased that I could be of some help.

She stretched a little and then opened her eyes and looked at me. My memory never did her justice and I was struck at how beautiful she was every time I looked at her.

She sat up and turned to face me. I reluctantly sat up myself feeling the loss of our contact immediately. I needed to get a grip on this. We couldn't live our lives constantly touching each other.

Our lips had just met for the first kiss of the day when the door opened again and Bobby came in. "Geez guys, you've had all night for this and now it's time to get out of bed."

Steph pulled away but only a little. "I guess we have to get up now." She lightly whined.

"It's for the best; I don't have my gun so I can't shoot him." I joked. "Besides," I reminded her pulling back so I could get my brain to work independently, "Didn't you want him to help you talk to Tristan."

Bobby heard the last part and thought the worst, "Did something happen yesterday. I knew I shouldn't have turned off my cell phone last night, but Cathy had the night off and it had been a long time." He stopped talking realizing his self-chastisement was revealing more than he should.

"Relax Bobby," Steph told him. "I need to talk to Tristan about stepping up my therapy. I know he was getting frustrated with me because I wasn't taking him seriously, but I have a new motivation and I need him to help me get my endurance back up."

Bobby looked at her for a minute and then turned his gaze to me. I couldn't help but smile as he tried to figure out what she meant. Apparently he made the connection as he began to struggle for words just like Les had. "I'll go call him now," He finally managed to get out before turning around and leaving the room.

Stephanie and I both found his awkward exit hilarious and laughed at his discomfort. "I guess everybody will know now," I said.

"Good, because if they don't realize it yet, I want them to. I want them to know how I feel about you." She told me filling me with a fresh sense of pride in who she was and the way she carried herself comfortably with her decisions for her life. No wonder she talked so much, she had nothing to hide.

"I should get going before Binkie sends a search party down for me." I told her.

"Tell him I want to hear all about his date with Alyssa last night." She reminded me as I pulled her into my arms for a final kiss goodbye.

"I'll be around today," I told her. "Call me if you need anything." She nodded that she understood and I took every ounce of strength that I had and made myself walk out the door.

Thankfully no one was waiting in her kitchen to hit me with questions about what was going on between me and Steph so I went back to my place, changed and headed down to the gym. If I hurried I could still get in a workout before the core team meeting this morning.

I jumped on the treadmill next to Binkie and nodded a greeting.

He smiled instantly, "I'd ask how your night was, but it's written all over your face."

"I could say the same thing about you." I snapped back. "By the way, Steph wants you to go see her and tell her about last night. She's going to want details." I warned him.

"No worries. It was perfect, I'll be glad to tell her all about it." He said putting my mind at ease.

"You going to tell me about your night?" He asked.

I shook my head no.

"You remember what I told you?" He asked.

I glanced in his direction and saw his smile was gone again.

"I remember that you said you'd support me if she for some odd reason decided she wanted to be with me." I said intentionally skipping his threat if I didn't take care of her.

"That's not all I said," He told me trying to subtly reiterate his promise if I hurt her.

"I remember." I assured him. "Just know that it would kill me to think I'd ever hurt her. Especially now. She's the most amazing woman I've ever met and if she wants to be with me, I'm not strong enough to pull away." I told him realizing I sounded like a leading character in a sappy movie. I needed to do something aggressive and soon.

Binkie stopped running and said, "Come on old man, the ring is empty."

I held my own, glad to see my reflexes were still on par with a guy much younger than me. Of course there was the fact that when we were finished I needed to sit down while I toweled off the sweat pouring down my face. I decided to get Binkie talking before he commented on his abundant energy. "So what did you do last night?"

"It was perfect. Steph found this little Italian place that was family owned so it was quiet with great food, but not so fancy that either one of us would be uncomfortable. Then she told me to take her to a corner bookstore right down the street from the restaurant and just browse with Alyssa. I have to tell you I was nervous about that part. How do you turn shopping in a quiet bookstore into a date? But I'll admit she was right on about it." He confessed, shaking his head.

Of course she was. Steph had a way of understanding people and knowing what they needed. At least she did with me.

He picked up his story with a little more color on his face. "We walked through and pointed out books we'd read or stories we'd heard about and then we found a place for coffee in the back and sat and watched the people there and talked. We were there for almost three hours. Hell, the owner threw us out to close the store. So now I know a lot more about her, and she has a better understanding of what I do for a living, but it wasn't that awkward, 'so tell me about yourself' kind of date."

"I'm glad. You know Steph's going to want more details than that, right?" I teased him feeling like I could stand up and talk without seeming tired now.

"Yea, I'll give them to her. Besides, I'm going to see Alyssa again Sunday night so I'll need some help figuring out what to do then. It's going to take something special to top that first date though." He admitted.

I didn't envy him there. Of course, he did have Stephanie to help him plan it out. Who was I supposed to call when I needed to take Steph somewhere? Last night was perfect, because I hadn't planned it, but how would it be the next time we were together? There didn't seem to be that morning after awkwardness. Of course we hadn't done anything more than kiss either. But the kissing was amazing. She could put so much of herself into so little contact. Thinking about last night was a mistake as my body was beginning to respond to the memory. Hell, it wouldn't be the first cold shower I'd taken because of Stephanie Plum.

By the time I was showered and heading back up to five I was feeling like my old self again. I was dressed in black, I had five different weapons strapped on and I felt like I could take on the world and win.

"Gentlemen," Tank began when we were all seated around the conference table. "The team in Miami had a breakthrough in the Alonzo case. They got a lead on a warehouse full of guns that was being held and they stormed the building, capturing several of Alej's known associates, but not Alej himself. They called in the ATF and the guns were confiscated. It's hoped that the raid last night will make Alej mad enough to make a mistake, allowing us to capture him. Ranger said they had reason to believe that he left Miami. We have to assume Trenton is a possible place for him to reappear."

I was glad they managed to hit this guy where it hurt. And if he was brave enough to come to Trenton after what he caused to happen to Steph, then I was certainly glad to be a member of the welcome wagon that would greet him upon his arrival. That would be one night that I would leave my dart gun at home. If I shot him, I wanted it to hurt and I wanted him conscious to know why he'd been hit.

"If you have any street contacts, see if they know anything about Alonzo's presence and keep me in the loop. Ranger wants to be called immediately if we find him. He considers this personal and he wants in on the take down if it can be arranged." Tank finished his instructions with that warning while looking at me. I guess he thought I would be most likely to go off alone looking for revenge. It was tempting, but I wanted to be sure we got this guy. I wouldn't do anything stupid if I could help it. Just to be on the safe side I needed to be sure Binkie understood that he needed to be sure to keep an eye on me in case it turns out that I can't help it.

Of course, now I had something else to worry about. This meant that Ranger would be coming back to town. Maybe he had reconsidered his stance on relationships and Stephanie. Maybe he would want to take her away from Trenton to keep her safe. Would she want to go? Was I enough to make her want to stay? Is this something I could even ask her about or would it look like I didn't trust her at all?

Who could I talk to about all of this? I needed some advice in the worst way. I looked around the table, and although I respected every person here as soldiers and co-workers they weren't exactly qualified to hand out relationship advice. Hell, Binkie was the one I considered to be the most stable of the bunch, and even he went to Steph with all his questions about Alyssa.

There was only one person I thought I could trust to give me an honest answer and not to tell Stephanie about my fears. When the meeting adjourned I told Binkie to go find Steph, I had some calls I needed to make and I would come down to her apartment in a few hours. He nodded and didn't seem to think there was anything odd about my instruction so he went happily down the stairs.

I went up to the roof to make my call so I could have some semblance of privacy. I pressed the number I'd know by heart for years and waited for an answer.

"Dad?" I said when a male voice answered.

"Ed? Twice in as many weeks, how are you?" He asked apparently happy to hear from me.

"I'm good dad. Listen I need some advice." I decided to cut right to the chase.

"What's going on, son? How can I help?" He asked sensing that I was serious and matching my tone with his own.

"There's a girl," I began not sure how to explain.

"Ah, are you sure you wouldn't rather talk to your mother? She she's a lot better with the relationship stuff. I know she's helped Peter a lot." He explained. I guess I was more like my father than I realized.

"No, I definitely don't need to talk to mom. You'll understand why in a minute." I told him hoping he would wait and let me explain.

"Alright," He said firmly accepting that there were times a guy needed to talk to his father.

"We've worked together for a few years. Over the last few weeks we've been spending a lot of time together and we've gotten really close. Last night we finally admitted how we felt about each other and everything seemed perfect, at least at the time it did." I tried to keep my explanation as short as possible.

"What happened this morning, then?" He asked understanding that something had changed.

"This morning I got word that a guy is coming back into town that has a strong interest in her. They have flirted on and off for years and she says they have a connection, but have never had a relationship, nor does she want one now." I told him, and then I figured I should add, "He's my boss."

"Ahh, I see why you needed to talk to me." My dad admitted.

When I was trying to make the decision to go straight to college or enter the army, my dad told me the story of how he and my mom met. They were teaching at the same school and my mother had been dating someone in administration at the superintendent's office, but it wasn't serious. My dad was still in the reserves and before one of his two week stints away they finally admitted how they felt about each other. The next day he kissed her goodbye and got on a plane to play GI Joe.

When he returned to Ohio he went straight to her apartment. When she answered the door, the look on her face told him something was wrong and when she fully opened the door he saw that the jerk was there. My dad grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard and long. When he pulled back he saw her entire demeanor had changed and she looked overjoyed to see him. The guy had the good sense to give up and leave my mom alone after that, and my dad knew that even though he had been insecure when he saw the other guy was there; my dad was the one that put the smile on her face. He never doubted how she felt again.

"What did you want to ask about?" He prompted me when I got lost in the recounting of my parent's story.

"We just kissed for the first time last night, but if this guy is coming back should I step aside now so it will be easier if she decides Ranger is the guy for her?" I wondered not sure if I could really do it if he said yes.

"Let me ask you, would it be easy to give her up?" He asked me.

"No, I'm not even sure if I could, but if I had to, it seems like the sooner I do it, the easier it would be." I responded.

"Son, if you love this girl, then it doesn't matter when you do it; it you'll feel like your heart will never beat again. I can offer you one piece of advice though. Do you think she is smart? I mean does she usually make good decisions?" He pressed.

"Absolutely, her mind is amazing. She has an uncanny ability to put together clues and piece together puzzles." I admitted.

"Then you might need to consider the insult it would be to her if you tried to back away to give her a chance to figure out if she would rather have you or your boss. If she has explained that she would never want a relationship with him, and she says she wants one with you, then you are basically telling her you don't trust her to have made the right decision." He said making me realize he was exactly right. I would be telling her I didn't trust her and I knew how important trust was to me, why wouldn't she feel the same way?

"Alright Dad, you made your point. If I told her to think about it I would be an ass and would end up pushing her away. It's just, I don't have a lot of relationship experience and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing." I confessed.

"Don't worry about it son, I've been married forty years and I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, but I've never doubted how I felt. That's the important thing." He pointed out with a laugh.

I hung up and went downstairs to Steph's apartment. I'd been gone a while and realized I missed her. I had no crystal ball, but I knew what I wanted for my future. And right now, that future included a certain curly haired brunette with a big heart and a fridge full of leftovers.

_A/N: A Special Thank you to Cathy (sonomom) who took the time to ask a physician some questions about Stephanie's condition for me. I so appreicate your help researching her injury and as a token of my appreciation I hope you enjoyed your "night" with Bobby. _


	12. Ranger Returns

_None of the characters belong to me. JE invented and perfected them._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan), thank you for working on this story with me as a Beta, idea bouncer and encourager._

**Chapter 12 – Ranger Returns**

Over the next two weeks Stephanie and I settled into a comfortable routine. We spent the mornings waking up slowly together. Occasionally we were spooned together, more often than not, she was lying across me in some way, but we were always touching.

I would meet Binkie in the gym and we would work out together and go over the game plan for the day. As we were leaving the gym Stephanie was usually coming in with Tristan. Part of her respiratory therapy included getting her endurance up so she spent time walking on the treadmill. I'd noticed the speed and angle was being gradually increased and her time on the belt was getting longer. I couldn't help but pull up the camera and check in with her progress. I didn't want to interrupt her time in the gym because I knew it wasn't her favorite place to be on her best day. Still, I was proud of her progress and knew that Tristan was setting her up to be in better shape than she was before the accident.

Somewhere around 10:00 Steph would come up to her cubicle and do a few searches until I was ready for a lunch break. It was a big help because she's more thorough than most of us and it gave her the chance to be around the guys more. In fact, it was Stephanie that thought to check Maria Alonzo's credit card receipts daily and she alerted us that Maria was suddenly hitting the grocery and Wal-Mart with rather large charges. It was Steph's guess that Maria was expecting company based on the types of items she was stocking up on.

Tank had passed the info down to Miami and when they had gotten word that Alonzo was no longer in town, Ranger assumed he had come back to Trenton. When Lester's contact confirmed that Alej was in town, Ranger made arrangements to come back to Trenton today. The general consensus around the office was that if Alonzo was here, his ticket would be one way, because he wasn't getting out of Trenton alive.

We were all very focused on getting this guy and eliminating the threat he was to Stephanie. She was being great about her confinement; there had been no pleas for time out of the building or attempts to sneak out. Most people assumed it was because she had been hurt and was still not at one-hundred percent. I liked to think she was content inside because we spent as much time together as possible when I was off work.

The passion between us was growing and it was quickly becoming almost impossible for me to pull back until she was cleared for all normal activities. Bobby said that Tristan was confident that she'd be allowed to resume all activities soon. I was trying not to ask about it anymore because if I thought there was even a chance that she could handle more physically I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it through the work day. The problem was that after feeling her against me all night long, it was getting harder each morning to keep myself distracted enough to get up and leave without allowing our morning kisses to turn into more.

This Friday was no different as I opened my eyes before Stephanie was awake and enjoyed the quiet of her apartment and the feel of her soft body against mine. Waking like this was a mixed blessing. I loved the sight and smell of her, not to mention the heavenly way she felt. As I watched her I saw a slight grin stretch across her lips as my first indication that she was joining the land of the living.

I placed a row of kisses along her hairline and felt her somehow manage to move closer to me in the process. "Good morning," She whispered as the smile on her face grew.

I realized she seemed much happier than usual, as no one would ever accuse Steph of being a morning person, and I couldn't resist asking what she was thinking about. "Today Tristan and I are going to begin testing my lungs with a different workout. He says if I do well, he might be able to clear me to return to work." She explained.

I was a little disappointed that she was so happy to return to work. I had hoped when she was okay to work, she would be okay to do everything else without restriction too.

When I didn't say anything right away she began to run her fingertips lightly across my chest. She wasn't helping me with my problem keeping myself in check. I assume that was her plan as she teasingly said, "Of course if I'm cleared to come to work, then I would be cleared for any other physical activities too."

Not letting a single second pass I flipped her on her back and hovered over her, holding my weight on my arms. "Are you telling me there's a chance tonight we may go to bed doing something besides reading?" I was a patient man, and normally had no trouble waiting, but the last few days had been pure torture. I stared in her eyes waiting for her to confirm that I hadn't misunderstood her.

She nodded her head and giggled. "If I can pass his tests, then tonight we would be cleared for anything we want to do." When she said the last few words she stopped smiling and ran the ends of her fingers down my chest from my shoulders to my abs. I felt the muscles in my arms begin to shake slightly. I had no trouble holding my weight up, but my brain began to short circuit at the idea of being able to move things forward with Steph in a matter of hours.

I groaned at that thought and bent my arms at the elbow as if I was doing a pushup. Our lips met and she grabbed me by my hair and began to kiss me as though she wished we were cleared right now. I felt myself begin to react to her and knew I needed to put some distance between us, quickly.

When I rolled over she followed me and ended up straddling my waist sitting on me. As much as I loved the feel of her there, it wasn't helping me to get myself under control. This woman was amazing, but she was killing me. I was running out of distracting thoughts to keep my body in check. Grandma Mazur doing a strip tease used to be my go to image, but lately I had trouble holding the picture in my head long enough for it to help.

"So when you pull up the camera in the gym later on today, hopefully you'll get good news." She practically purred in my ear.

How did she know I had been spying on her? It must have shown on my face because she sat up again and laughed before saying, "I have my sources."

Fortunately, she took pity on me and slid off allowing me to get up. Once I had enough distance between us I asked, "You want to have lunch on the roof today? It's supposed to be warm and I don't know how many nice days we'll have left this year." I knew how much she loved getting out, but her recovery and the threat from Alonzo had kept her in the building since she was released from the hospital. Hell, Bobby even picked up her doctors and brought them here. It was amazing how enough money could prompt even the busiest physician to agree to a house call.

"I'll find you around noon," She promised before kissing me one more time and heading into the bathroom. I let myself out and went to my place to get changed for the gym.

Binkie was just going in when I got off the stairs so I caught up with him easily and we started off in the weight room. While I was lifting he stood over me to spot my work and said, "So today is the day Ranger gets back in town, huh?" I'd been trying not to think about it. On the one hand Ranger was my boss, and he was an excellent leader and someone I admired and liked so I would be glad to see him. But the larger piece of me was worried about how Steph would react to seeing him. I believed her when she said she loved me, but I still worried that when she saw him, when he was close to her, she might wonder if she'd made a mistake.

The guys all knew about us and I think they were all interested in what might change with Ranger back. A week and a half ago she came to my desk scooted my chair on wheels back and then plopped down in my lap. I gave her my full attention and was rewarded with a long sensual kiss. When we pulled apart you could have heard a pin drop. Binkie was the first one to speak up and said, "Let me guess, you got tired of people asking what the deal was between you two so you wanted to clear it up once and for all?" Steph smiled as though he had guessed it correctly. I didn't realize the guys were questioning her too, but as far as mass communication methods go, it was a good one, and that kiss did the trick.

I didn't want to lift weights while distracted so I sat the bar down on the bench and stood up to trade places with Binkie. He knew me well enough by know to know I was not happy about the return of Ranger so he didn't say anything else right away. It wasn't until we were heading to the locker room that he said, "You know Steph loves you, right? I mean she's told me, but to anyone that just sees the two of you together it's obvious. Ranger will see it and when he knows that she is happy he will respect the fact that you guys are together."

At heart I felt like he was right, but until I saw how he was going to react, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was going to be trouble when he got here. "I hope you're right, man." I told him, effectively shutting down the conversation.

I did some desk work for an hour after the morning meeting until I felt like my eyes were crossing so I decided to go for my favorite distraction and pulled up the security feed from the gym on my desktop to see how she was doing. I had trouble finding her which was concerning me. Lester walked by as I was frantically switching between the angles trying to locate her and knocked my hand out of the way. He clicked on the right camera and pointed to her sitting on the floor in front of the Stairmaster on the floor. She had her legs pulled up against her chest and wasn't moving at all.

I looked at Les and raised an eyebrow at him wondering if he knew what was going on? "I don't know," he said backing away from the screen. "She was with that guy all morning and when he left about five minutes ago she sat down and hasn't moved since. Bobby said she was fine and I should leave her alone so I didn't go in."

I rubbed my fingers over my chin. I didn't take the time to shave this morning so the stubble was scratchy against my hand. I was waiting for her to get up, willing her to move at all. I waited about two minutes before I'd seen enough and I got up and ran to the stairs to see what was wrong.

When I walked in there was no one else there so it was eerily quiet. When I'm in the gym it's usually loud with most of the guys working out in the morning. I made my way over and noticed she had her thumb between her teeth as though she were nervous about something. I automatically assumed the worst, and that things had not gone well with Tristan. Of course I was disappointed that our evening might not be as much fun as I had thought this morning, but I was more worried about her. Was there something wrong?

She jumped when I put my hand on her shoulder. I resisted the urge to tell her to be more aware of her surroundings. It didn't seem like the right time to try and make a joke. Her eyes were big and the blue in them was dark and nearly swimming in tears that hadn't been shed. I sat down beside her and asked, "What's wrong Steph?"

"Nothing," She began, but she caught the expression change on my face that clearly told her I knew that was bullshit. "Well, everything is fine, Tristan gave me one final test to self-administer and if I can do it, I'm cleared like we talked about."

I didn't understand why she was sitting here then. "What was the test?" I asked her, thinking maybe it was too hard.

"He said if I can do five minutes on the Stairmaster and keep my breathing under control then I can have sex." The words came out bluntly, with no embarrassment at all.

"Then why are you so worried?" I questioned, not understanding why she didn't just jump on the machine and see what she could do.

"What if I can't do it?" She turned the question to me to answer.

"Then you do a little more work and try again another day." I told her believing it was really that simple.

She turned to look at me again. I looked in her eyes and wondered if she thought I would be upset if she couldn't do it. Since the night we first spoke of how we felt for each other, we hadn't spent much time talking about our feelings. I thought we did a great job of showing each other, even if we didn't use the magic words much. I had a feeling this was one of those times when words would be necessary.

I took a deep breath and jumped in, "Steph, you know I love you. And your ability to pass this test won't change that one way or the other. I will admire you for pushing yourself in your therapy to get to this point no matter what."

Her eyes shined as she took in what I was saying. I could see the change in her as she accepted the things I couldn't say but still felt. She nodded took a deep breath and stood up.

"Do you want me to time you?" I asked wanting to be helpful, but not wanting to overcrowd her.

She nodded and barely gave me time to get my watch up before she jumped on and started climbing. At first she seemed to be going effortlessly and I was impressed. Climbing is great aerobic exercise so I knew her heart rate was increased and I could see her breathing heavier but she wasn't struggling at all. At four minutes I told her she only had sixty seconds to go. I could tell she was working harder and getting tired. Five minutes is a long time to push yourself, but I could see the determination in her eyes and I knew she wouldn't give up. She was too close.

When I yelled out, "You're done Steph! You did it!" She jumped down and put her hands on her knees bending at the waist. I began to worry that she was having trouble catching her breath, but she took a second and stood straight up and smiled at me and I knew that she was alright. If she could handle this test then I had no doubt she would be up for what I had in mind for us this evening. After all, if she'd indulge my fantasies tonight I'd be the one doing all the work.

We stared at each other briefly before she took the four steps separating us and flung herself into my arms. I gladly caught her and received the kiss she pressed onto me. I could tell that she was relieved and excited about having finished with the most challenging parts of her recovery, but more than that I think that she was ready to move forward with us.

I knew we were alone in the gym so I kissed her back trying to let her know how I felt about her. I wanted my love, pride and passion to come out. She must have gotten the message loud and clear because I heard her moan and felt her leg wrap around my thigh. Encouraged by her forwardness I moved my hands down to her ass and lifted her up allowing both of her legs to wrap around my waist.

I was vaguely aware that my phone beeped alerting me to a text message, but I ignored it. She was more important right now. A few seconds later her phone did the same thing. Thankfully she felt no urgency to read the message. Finally both our phones began to ring which only seemed to steel our resolve to pull closer together. I walked to the wall and pushed her back into it so that I didn't need to worry about her falling when I put one hand in her hair and gently pulled it back to give myself access to her long neck. Just as I was marking her by sucking the juncture at her shoulder I heard a voice yell from the gym door.

"Shit Ram, let the girl breathe, Ranger is coming." Binkie had run down to warn us, but didn't come fast enough because I hadn't set Stephanie down before Ranger came in slamming one of the doors open and making it bang against the wall.

"Ramsey, wanna tell me what's going on here?" He barked out. I knew exactly what he meant, but the way he was going about it rubbed me the wrong way and my instinct to fight came up strong.

"Yes Sir," I replied failing to stop the sarcasm from seeping into my voice. "Steph just completed her final test and is now cleared to return to all normal activity."

"And was this test to have her face sucked off by one of my men?" He bit back.

"No sir," I said putting my arm around her waist while I spoke, afraid if I let her go my control would snap and I would do something foolish. "She just spent five minutes on the Stairmaster without any difficulties breathing." I explained.

"And where do you get off assaulting her for completing this test?" He accused me.

I had spent so much time worrying about controlling my reaction that I failed to factor in how Steph would react to Ranger speaking of her like she wasn't in the room. She hated it when Bobby and I did it in the hospital and apparently she hated it even more now.

"More importantly, Ranger, where do you get off questioning what I do? What right do you have to complain about who kisses me? You left, remember? And long before that you made it clear we were nothing more than friends. If you still want that role in my life then I suggest you back off and go back to your meetings or whatever you have scheduled." She started to step toward him while her voice was getting louder. When I saw her arm lift up to point at him I knew her Italian temper was there in full force and felt like I should try to calm her down before she said something she'd regret later.

"Babe," He said as though it were an explanation of his behavior.

"Don't Babe me, Ranger, I'm serious!" She was practically yelling now. "When you left it was Ram that sat by my bed for hours talking to me and holding my hand. He took the time to listen and gave me a chance to communicate before I could talk. He was the one who learned what I needed when I couldn't breathe and felt like I was choking. He was the one who held me when I cried, afraid that I would never get better. Ram was the one who decided I was worth loving and gave me a chance. Don't come down here trying to push him away, because wherever he goes, I'll follow."

Ranger's blank face was completely gone. In all the year's I've known him I've never watched emotions flick across his face like they were when she was talking. He listened to every word she said, and it hurt. He knew what she said was true. He knew he left when she needed someone, and now that she was back to herself he doubted his decision was the right one. He saw a fight in her that he hadn't seen before, and I could tell when he realized that his leaving was a mistake.

Stephanie must have seen all the same things I did because she walked over to where he was firmly planted to the floor. I stayed where I was realizing this was something that had to be done, and if I followed her it would seem like I didn't trust her. As much as my heart had stretched with pride when she stood up for me – for us – it began to freeze with the fear that if Ranger softened and apologized, she might forgive him. I had to stand there and wait to see if I still had a future with Stephanie.

"Ranger, you've been my friend for years now. You were the first person to believe in me, and you have been a constant presence in my corner supporting me and cheering me on. Please don't do this. Please don't turn on me now and push me away. This is what you wanted. You said you wanted me to have a chance to be happy, and I am. But, I'd be happier if I knew you would still be by my side supporting me and cheering me on." Her voice was soft, but she was making it clear she would stand by me no matter what he did.

Ranger then shocked the hell out of me. He took the two steps toward her and opened his arms to envelop her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as though she needed to feel him as much as he did her. He bent his head down and breathed in a long breathe before whispering in her ear. She nodded several times indicating she understood what he was saying. When they pulled back slightly at the same time they looked at each other.

Then I saw it. My hand balled up into a fist of its own accord when Ranger began to lower his face in her direction as though he were going to kiss her. At the last possible moment she turned her head to the side and offered her cheek instead. He kissed it and then laughed slightly. She took a step back and then put her hand on his chest pushing him away playfully. "The poaching stops now, Ranger. You're my friend, but that's all." It was said as a joke, but her voice had an edge to it that was sufficient to let him know she was serious.

I tried to relax my hand before she saw my aggressive stance when she came back to my side.

"I know what you need from me and I'll give it to you. I want you to be happy and I can see how Ram could do that." He said as confirmation that he wasn't going to fire me over our relationship.

"But, Ram and I need to talk for a few minutes, alone." He said nodding his head in Binkie's direction. Stephanie started to object, but I figured it would be easier if we cleared the air now and didn't have this hanging over our heads each time we worked together. I turned my back to Ranger and pressed a soft kiss on Steph's lips. I looked into her eyes, willing her to understand that it'd be okay and that she should leave with Binkie.

She paused for a few minutes and then nodded her head accepting what I was trying to convey. I nodded in Binkie's direction and she walked that way to her friend's hand, which he was holding out for her. "I'll come up when I'm done here." I told her knowing she would be in her apartment worrying until she saw me again.

When the doors closed I looked at Ranger and said, "So where are we going to do this?"

He tilted his head to the ring beside us and I realized he wanted to spar so I figured I may as well get in and not try to put off the inevitable. Ranger may be accepting the fact that I was with Stephanie now, but he needed someone to pay for the fact that he wasn't and I seemed to be the most likely candidate for that.

Surprisingly he didn't begin to prepare or stretch or even get in an attack position. He leaned back into one of the corners of the ropes. I mirrored his position on the opposite side wondering what he had in store for me.

"Tell me what happened." He said. It wasn't exactly a command, but he didn't sound like he thought I would refuse.

I started talking to him about the night of the distraction and told him how I'd felt sitting with her. I told him about her squeezing my hand when she appeared to be unconscious and how we communicated when she was awake, but was still on the ventilator. He listened and nodded a few times, but never made a sound. It was when I told him about going to see her mother that Ranger's shoulders sagged. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I could have sworn he looked defeated even though we hadn't thrown a single punch.

He put his hand up stopping me from going on. "I get it. You did what I couldn't or wouldn't do for her. She's happy and that's what I wanted for her."

"If it helps," I began wondering if I was about to ruin the moment, "I understand why you did it. I was watching her sleep one night and wondered if there was any limit to what I would do to protect her innocence. I don't know if I could do what you did, but I know I would lay down my life to keep her safe."

He nodded, accepting my words for the gesture they were and added, "It was watching her sleep that convinced me I had to leave in the first place. I'd do it again, but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn't gone."

I didn't want to think about that because I knew I would never have been given the opportunity to get to know her and realize how wonderful she was.

The silence stretched on and I finally asked, "Are we good?" I wasn't expecting a man hug or anything but I couldn't walk out of the ring unless he dismissed me.

He lifted his chin which I took to mean yes. I turned around to go, but then thought about it and spun back to face him. "Do you want to spar?" I'd fought against Ranger in the past, and always managed to limp away in one piece. He seemed to be itching for something to do, and if I could help, I'd buck up and take it.

He didn't answer, but began to take off his utility belt and boots. I followed suit swearing in my head at how stupid it was to volunteer to spar with Ranger when I could be up in Steph's apartment right now celebrating her test results.

He stretched a little and I bounced on the balls of my feet hoping I'd be able to keep from having to pay Bobby a visit before seeing Stephanie. Then I did what I have been trained to do, I cleared my mind and focused on the task at hand. Ranger was fast, strong and nimble, and while it became obvious I couldn't take him, I was holding my own better than I ever had before. Shit, working out with Binkie had been helpful after all.

We'd been at it for half an hour when the gym door opened and the deep voice of Tank boomed out, "RangeMan!"

We both stopped and faced Tank to see what caused the interruption.

He smiled at us and said, "I saw you two on the monitors and figured I might need to come down and break up the school yard brawl, but it looks like you've got it under control."

Ranger climbed out of the ring and began to pull his gear back on. I did the same knowing that while Ranger was going back upstairs to work on reports and planning, I was about to receive what I hoped was the sweetest greeting imaginable. Some days it was so good to not be the boss.

I was almost to the door of the gym when Ranger called out, "Ram, I don't think I need to remind you that if Stephanie is hurt in anyway, the work you've put into improving your skills won't be enough to save you from what I'll bring against you."

"Yea," I told him so he'd know I understood, "Get in line." I walked out of the gym to the sound of Ranger and Tank laughing. It was rare to hear them like that, and I knew I would be alright because of it.


	13. The Good Stuff

_JE created these characters and deserves all the credit._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) you're so easy to work with. As the Beta on this story, you deserve so much more credit than a simple note at the top._

**Chapter 13 – The Good Stuff**

I stood outside Steph's door for a minute before I knocked. I could hear Binkie talking so I knew she wasn't alone. It was hard to believe that Ranger was okay with us together, but I genuinely felt he was no longer a problem. Steph had made her feelings about me abundantly clear, so why was I standing out here like a nervous teenager?

Just as I was about to knock, Bobby came jogging off the stairs and ran over to me. "Hey man," He said holding out a bag. "I hear congratulations are in order."

I wasn't following his meaning so I gave him a look that said as much and he continued. "Bomber is done with Tristan. He called and said she was fine to resume all her normal activities. If she gets a cold or something anytime soon, she will be at greater risk for it to develop into pneumonia, but other than that, she's fine."

"Wait, how did he know she was done? I thought she had the Stairmaster test to finish before she was clear, and he wasn't here for that." I asked.

"Tristan was just screwing with her on that. He knew she could do it, and he knew what her motivation has been to work so hard the last few weeks. He gave her that so she wouldn't feel weird about us all knowing that she was cleared for sex. It was a way to give her some privacy about her personal life." Bobby explained.

That was actually kind of thoughtful. "What's with the bag?" I asked holding up the Walgreens package. "Does she still need medication?"

Bobby started chuckling and shook his head no. "Nah, man, that's for you, like I said congratulations." With no other explanation, he turned and walked away.

I untangled the handles of the bag to see what was inside and felt my face begin to redden. Shit, I'm no adolescent kid, but the bag was full of various condoms and lubricants. Did Bobby own stock in Trojan? Seeing my usual label I shrugged and smiled. Hell, I'd been so excited about the thought of being with Stephanie, I hadn't even considered contraceptives. I'd have to find a fitting way to say thanks after we'd had a chance to fully appreciate his thoughtfulness.

With that idea, I knocked on the door and greeted Binkie with a nod of my chin. "I see you're still standing, that's a good sigh, right?" Binkie asked stepping aside to let me in and position himself to leave.

I nodded, "Yea, I think we'll be fine."

"Do we still have a morning surveillance shift?" He asked. I could tell that it was his subtle way of saying that he'd see me at 9:00 the next morning when Zip and Cal needed to be relieved.

"I'll meet you in the garage in time to get there." I confirmed making sure he wouldn't knock on the door in the morning to go to the gym together. It was my sincere hope I would have already gotten my work out done, just in a less traditional way. I balled up the bag not wanting Steph to ask about it right away and sat it behind a box of cereal on her kitchen bar.

"Ram?" She called out from the den. I stepped through the foyer and into her den to see her stretched out on her couch with the Ranger's game on the television. I smiled at how comfortable she looked as I approached her and knelt down blocking her view of the game.

I ran the back of my knuckles down her cheek and smiled at her. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked, not demanding, but definitely curious.

I nearly laughed, but caught myself. "He wanted the story of how we developed from co-workers to what we are now, so I told him. He seemed okay with it once he saw that I loved you and wasn't just looking at you as a conquest or a temporary diversion. He wants you to be happy."

"If he wants me to be happy, then why are your knuckles bleeding?" She asked, holding my hand still to examine the small cuts and scrapes. Her touch was feather light and it left me wanting more.

Knowing she wouldn't let it go I sat down next to her on the sofa. I had no choice but to recount my story of what had happened and the half hour I spent in the ring with Ranger. I hoped after I shared everything with her she would let it go and we could move past this.

"So he really didn't try to hurt you?" She asked trying to verify why we sparred at all.

"No. Well, no more than he would on any other day. Sometimes it's easier for us to accept things we don't like if we have a chance to get out some of the energy that comes with strong emotions." I wondered if she could understand that.

There was a pause while she took in what I was saying before she asked, "Is that why you and Binkie spar?"

I smiled at her ability to accept everything I've ever shared with her about myself. "Yea, Sweetheart, that's why we spar. It's a good way to get the aggression out, but we know each other enough to know our intent isn't to hurt each other. And, when we get out of the ring, we feel better."

"So when you've been through something upsetting, it's helpful to do something physical for a release?" She asked with a teasing smile on her face.

"That's a good way to put it," I told her thinking it was a fair statement.

"In that case, I had a rough morning too, but I haven't had the benefit of sparing with anyone in the ring." She began while moving closer to where I was.

"You want to spar?" I asked her, wondering where she was going with this.

True to my suspicions she shook her head no and said, "I don't think I'm skilled enough to get in the ring with you, but there may be another physical release that you could help me with."

Holy shit, she was leading me down the path I most wanted to travel. This might turn out to be the night I dreamed about after all. I never thought of myself as a guy would want a take charge kind of woman, but my God, Steph was damn sexy right now and I couldn't resist playing along. "Well, if there is anything I can do to be helpful; I am at your service." I told her noticing my voice was lower than normal even though I wasn't trying for that effect.

"I'm certainly hoping so," She said in her own version of a sex kitten voice while climbing into my lap and straddling me, "Because I am definitely in need of a release." Her hand moved to my shoulder while she was talking, and then using only her index finger she slowly moved it down my stomach nearly making me shiver from her touch through my t-shirt.

Having stated her intent she lowered her mouth to mine and kissed me. We'd had fifteen days to perfect our kissing communication. I felt that we had it down to an art. I knew the feel of her lips and the taste of her mouth. I knew the way she liked to trace my lips with her tongue before lightly nipping me with her teeth. I knew how much she liked it when I kissed her ear and down to her collarbone. We had literally spent hours allowing our mouth to do the talking and we had developed a beautiful oral dance that clearly illustrated how we felt about each other. While those kisses may have been passionate, we knew they could only go so far, but tonight was different.

Tonight, we had no rules to play by. She had been cleared for all physical activity and from the moment our lips touched it was as if we were both acutely aware that we would be doing more than kissing and our bodies responded to that knowledge. As soon as her lips closed on mine I moaned. I had wanted this for weeks, hell if I were honest, I'd wanted it for years since the first distraction I'd worked with her and saw her strut her stuff in the bar. I had been a goner then and I had no idea how truly amazing she was. Knowing her as I do now only made it more intense.

When the sound came from deep in my throat she understood that I wanted this as much as she did and our actions took on a sense of urgency that had not existed between us before. She began to tug at my shirt pulling it from the waist of my pants. I leaned up slightly from the back of the couch to allow her to pull it up and then helped her get it off. She sat back briefly to take in the sight of my chest. She'd seen it every night for the last three weeks, but tonight, the lust in her eyes was unmistakable.

As if she were trying to ensure that I was real-that this was real-she placed her hands on my pecs and slowly moved them down my stomach. The pressure from her fingers was torture, especially when I felt the edge of her fingernails scraping my chest. God, the things this woman could do to me- and she was still fully clothed!

Convinced we were finally going to be able to move past the exploration of our mouths, she lowered herself back to me and kissed down my neck to my shoulder. My head fell backward, landing on the couch, and I closed my eyes. I trusted Stephanie. I trusted her with my heart, with my job, and with my body. I never remembered a time when I had given complete control to someone else so freely, so willingly.

Her tongue and lips worked together to cover my chest from my neck to my navel with attention. But, when she gently nipped at the skin just above my belt my eyes shot open and I sat up. I had fantasized about all the things I wanted to do to pleasure Steph and I knew that if she got my belt undone I wouldn't be able to stop her and all my plans would go right out the window.

I pulled her closer to me so that I could lift her in my arms. Carrying her to the bedroom she tried to protest while pressing her mouth against me, "I can walk."

"I know," I told her planting a kiss in her hair and then saying a familiar phrase. "But tonight I want to take care of you, to protect you, to love you."

"Then I'm yours," she said. I realized then that this was a big moment; she was saying that she was relinquishing the control. She trusted me as much as I trusted her. Knowing how independent she was, I understood the precious nature of that gift and I loved that I was the one she was giving it to. It wasn't the fact that I was suddenly calling the shots that was turning me on; it was that she was chose to let me do it. I'd been trusted to protect people, but never had I been with someone who gave me their body and their heart.

I began by pulling her sneakers and socks off and tossing them to the side. My mind kept telling me to slow down, to try and make this special for her, but my body kept screaming, 'too many clothes!'

I listened to my body and pulled her tight gym pants off, leaving her in just her t-shirt and a pair of panties. Dear God, they weren't just panties, they were blue string and lace designed to remove all coherent thoughts from a man.

I ran my fingers up and down her inner legs from her ankles to her thighs and loved watching her wiggle at the sensation. She bolted up with no warning and grabbed my shoulders getting my full attention. "Ram, I'm begging you here, get your clothes off."

I think I stifled my laughter at her need for us to get closer, but I refused to rush. "Soon," I responded taking advantage of the fact she was sitting up and pulling her shirt over her head in one swift motion. Shit, she had on the matching bra. It was a blue that would match her eyes when she was laughing. The cup just barely contained her breast as though one good sneeze and her nipple would be right there for me to enjoy.

I don't know what I expected. She had been in the gym so I suppose I was thinking sensible panties and sports bra. Either she had changed, or she went downstairs planning on being released for strenuous activity. Either way, I had to admire her forethought in outfits. Briefly I wondered what she would be wearing if she knew we were going to have sex, and then I got lightheaded. Apparently, I don't have enough blood flow at the moment to carry on such complicated thoughts.

Dropping her shirt to the growing pile on the floor, I turned my attention to her. Her arms were over her chest as though she were covering herself up. I cupped her face with my hands and said, "No Steph. You don't need to hide behind anything with me."

She lowered her head to the pillow and let me move her arms to her sides. "So beautiful," I whispered before kissing her again. I moved my mouth to her chest trailing light touches along the top of her bra. I looked back up and saw she was watching me so I told her again, "You're so beautiful."

I knew the words were too simple, too plain to do her justice so I went back to the only way I knew to communicate with her and I showed her what I meant. I touched every inch of skin I could, paying special attention to her scars from surgery. She moved and moaned and responded to everything I did. I was quickly becoming undone and wanted to feel her skin against more than just my hands and chest.

Standing up, I unbuckled my utility belt and put it carefully on the bed stand before taking off my pants and socks. I had long ago learned to go commando so when I lowered myself back to the bed I was completely bare beside her. It was like offering water to a man in the dessert. Her hands were on me before I could completely stretch out. She stroked and rubbed and licked my arm, my side, my waist, my hip.

Jesus, I was quickly coming unglued and I still hadn't given her the pleasure I wanted to. Since she was on her side, I moved one hand behind her and unhooked her bra, pulling it away from her when I leaned so that she would lie flat on her back. Her nipples were hard and standing straight up. Seeing how perfectly her right breast fit in my hand I couldn't resist lowering my lips to her left and letting my tongue softly explore the nipple before taking it in my mouth and sucking on it loving the feel of her back rising off the bed in pleasure.

"So beautiful," I said as I switched breasts and took her right one in my mouth. I moved away only intending to place a row of kisses in the valley between her breasts, but the moment my mouth left her nipple her hands went straight to my head pushing me back where I had been.

"More," Her throaty voice said telling me she didn't want me to stop what I was doing. Ever willing to please, I resumed my attention alternating which nipple I lavished with attention from my mouth, always keeping my fingers mirroring the movement on the other. It didn't take long before her hands came back to my head and gripped my hair. She tugged, tightening her grip, almost to the painful level before arching her back once more and screaming a guttural, primal sound. I knew she had come and the thought made me pulse with excitement.

I'd never known someone so responsive and I needed to make her come again – now. I looked at her to see if she was alright, but her breathing seemed steady and unlabored so I said once again, "You are so beautiful," and then made my way past her ribs to her waist. Stopping briefly to once again admire her lacy panties I tugged them softly smiling when Steph lifted her hips to make it easier for me to pull them off. I would have liked to rip them off of her, but thought these were too sexy to ruin. A work of art like these needed to be preserved, hell I should frame the damn things. One look at them would be a hell of a lot more effective than a centerfold.

Tossing them aside, I put my full attention on her and noticed a small carefully trimmed patch of hair that I ran my fingers over. She moaned softly encouraging me to continue. Lowering my hand I was shocked to feel that she was already wet between her legs. If this was from what I had done so far, she would be practically dripping by the time I was ready to burry myself in her. Apparently, there would be no need for the lubricant Bobby picked up tonight

I wanted to go slowly, but I noticed how wet my fingers were and I couldn't resist drawing them to my mouth and licking her moisture from them. God, she was so sweet, and slightly salty and I wanted to go directly to the source for more. I pushed her legs up and then pressed her knees apart to fully open her up for access.

My tongue began at her lips before my hand gently pulled them apart allowing me to come in contact directly with her clit. I'd been with other women before and knew what a sensitive area this was, but as soon as I drew my tongue over her bundled nerves, her hips lifted off the bed and she groaned my name. I did the same thing again and heard my name even louder.

"Tell me what you want Steph," I asked not lifting my face from its perfect position.

"Ram…I need you." She panted out, "In me…now." There was an urgency in her voice, but I wanted to hear her growl one more time before I buried myself in her. I was afraid the feeling of being inside her would be so overwhelming I wouldn't be able to hear a thing from the moment I entered her.

I decided to compromise and I slid two fingers inside her while keeping my mouth sucking, licking and ever so gently biting her sensitive skin. "Yes," she practically shouted. Encouraged, I added a third finger pumping faster and felt the muscles around me tightening. I pulled as much of her in my mouth as I could and increased the tempo with my hand and was rewarded with a scream and a fresh flow of juices that I quickly set about licking straight from her.

She moaned and moved against me, continuing to make encouraging sounds. When I thought she was beginning to settle down from the force of her orgasm, I realized I needed to get the condoms from the kitchen. When I got up I heard her say, "No," drawing out the word into at least three syllables.

I turned back and kissed her softly before saying, "I just need to get something I left in the kitchen." Seeing that she wasn't going to object since she knew I was coming right back I hurried to get what I needed and tore the box open while I walked to the bedroom.

When I reentered the room I saw she had pushed up on her elbows and was watching me walk toward her. I had never seen her eyes so dark and I nearly dropped the condoms as her gaze drew all my attention from what I was trying to do. As soon as she saw what I was holding she smiled. "Perfect timing," was her only comment.

I was hard, and throbbing, but I didn't know how much time she needed before she would be ready for this. As if she knew what I was thinking she said, "You better get one of those on before I throw you down on this bed not worrying about birth control."

I couldn't stop my smile as I realized just one more thing that made Steph the most amazing woman. Not only was she sexy as hell, but she seemed to have an appetite for physical pleasure that rivaled her love of eating. I was a lucky man and from the looks of things I was about to get luckier.

I rolled on a condom and positioned myself at her opening. There was a small part of my mind cursing that I hadn't taken the time I wanted to with her. I wanted to kiss every inch of her body, caress her and speak of how I felt. But seeing her in front of me I couldn't do it. I couldn't hold back any longer. I needed to be in her and the longer I waited the more painful that need became.

I did manage to hold off long enough to look into her eyes. This time it was Stephanie who framed my face with her hands and said, "So beautiful." Generally speaking, manly men don't like being called beautiful, but the expression on her face, and the longing in her eyes banished any thought of my objecting. If she was seeing me as I was seeing her it was the right word. I hesitated allowing my pause to ask if she was sure. Instead of verbally assuring me she put her hands on my lower back and pulled me into her.

I did have enough control to enter her slowly groaning, drawing out this first time as long as I could. Each centimeter I gained, I reveled anew at how tight and hot she was and I wondered if I would last at all if she moved her hips even an inch against me. When I was in all the way I took a deep breath and locked my eyes to hers.

She held my gaze and I felt an instant connection that I had never experienced before. Yes, she was beautiful, and it sure as hell felt mind blowingly wonderful, but the connection was so unexpected I could hardly breathe. I knew she wanted me to move so I slowly pulled back before pushing again into her. This time when I was fully sheathed I felt her willing me to do it again. I heard her thoughts as clearly as if she were speaking. It was only because I was so focused on her face that I knew her mouth was not moving. I felt my chest get warmer and the sensation that my heart was somehow getting bigger came anew.

We continued to move in concert with one another. Each reacting to the unspoken desire of the other in a dance unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Her muscled began to tighten against me almost pulling me back in each time I began to move away. I felt my own release quickly coming and didn't know how I could hold off much longer.

Steph finally gave me the permission I needed to let go of my fragile grip on my control when she said, "Oh God, Ram," I knew she was right there so I drove into her harder and faster until I felt myself explode inside her and felt her walls holding me tightly in response. We had come together and apart from blinking, we never broke the eye contact. I moved my hands up to her hair and stroked it, trying to memorize everything about this moment. I had dreamed and fanaticized about being with her and in my wildest imagination I was nowhere near close about how wonderful it was. I didn't want to move an inch, afraid I would break the spell and somehow and ruin this perfect moment.

I had no way to gauge how long we stared at each other, but I did feel her hand move to my chest and gently push me back. I figured she wanted me to get off of her and that my weight was becoming too much so I started to lift myself off, but she grabbed me and shook her head no. Pausing for a moment to figure out what was wrong I wondered if she wanted me to roll over. I saw I had more room to work if I moved to her side of the bed so I put my arm under her neck and rolled us both over. Her leg tightened around my hip insuring we didn't pull apart during the transition and when I landed on my back she sat up straddling me with our bodies still joined together.

Steph bent over and began to kiss my ear, and down the side of my neck. I loved the feel of her mouth on me, and the way her breasts were moving against my chest. My body reacted instantly and stiffened in response. As if she knew the effect she was having on me, Steph began to rock her hips slowly against mine. I could tell she wanted to have the control now so I allowed my arms to fall down above my head on the pillow. Her hands went to my wrists and her eyes lit up as though she'd been given a great gift.

I realized something important as her eyes again locked with mine and her hips continued their wondrous massage against me. Steph was a strong woman. We came together at a time when she was fragile, but she never lost her strength. She was independent and intelligent and sexy as hell. None of this was new knowledge. What struck me was why I had never considered what those attributes would mean for us physically.

I was used to leading in the bedroom with women I'd picked up. This was entirely different because the control Steph liked to exhibit in her life carried over to sex which meant that her brilliant mind, capable of picking up even the smallest clue, would be constantly looking for ways enhance our experience. If I thought she was sexy before, it was nothing compared to the vision on top of me now. Shit, if I didn't stop thinking like this I was going to blow again long before Steph was ready.

Her hands trailed down my arms with just enough pressure to keep it from tickling. She worked her way down my chest over her legs and behind to my thighs leaving a trail of warmth in her wake. I saw a change in her expression indicating she'd just had an idea. She grabbed my shoulders and pulled. I assumed she wanted me to sit up so I helped her out knowing she would never get me up on her own.

The smile she flashed when I began to respond to her suggestion was replaced by a gasp when she moved her legs around my waist. It changed the angle just enough to let me penetrate further. We held on each other tightening the connection and increasing the tempo of our movements. I couldn't believe how it felt and hearing the noises she was making knocked any notion I might have entertained of prolonging this experience right out the window. I pushed into her harder and growled out her name as I exploded into her.

My eyes closed but when I heard her breathing heavier and I opened them quickly to be sure that she was alright. She nodded at me trying to reassure me that she was fine but unable to use words yet.

I pulled her tighter into my arms hugging her to me. I tried not to hold her too hard, not wanting to hurt her in my apparent attempt to force her physically into my chest. I felt her hand go into my hair and heard her soft voice say, "I know, I feel that way too."

It was as if the closer we got, the closer I needed her to be. I knew I couldn't pull her into my body, but I felt an urgency to get as close to that as possible. My heart wasn't beating that fast anymore, yet it had a strange feeling to it, like it was fragile and was one beat away from stopping. It was only the contact of our bodies that kept mine functioning. Is this what love was - a dependence on someone else in order to live? I didn't like the idea of needing someone that much, but I had no idea how to overcome the overwhelming feeling. This was Stephanie after all. She'd proven herself over and over again so I had no reason to think she would ever try to pull away.

As I thought it she moved her face and pulled my lips down to hers. Her kiss told me what I needed to hear. It was slow and firm, but unpredictable. She loved me with a passion as strong as my own. When she pulled back she looked at me and whispered, "I love you Edmund Ramsey."

"And I love you too," I told her not just returning the words because it was expected, but saying it because it was true.

I lifted her and waited as she pulled her legs from around me. She laid down and after I disposed of the condom with a tissue from the box next to the bed I pulled her over to our favorite position to sleep. I felt her relax, and listened to her breathing but I didn't hear it even out into its steady sleep pattern. I ran my hand lazily up and down her arm on my chest.

I wasn't surprised when she spoke, "That was amazing," She began making me nervous that now she would want to take a perfect experience and analyze it aloud.

I made a sound of agreement which only encouraged her to speak again, "It was more than I expected." I resisted the urge to say thank you and waited for her to finish her thought. "Now, I feel like the bond to you is stronger somehow. Like the first time we came together actually sealed us as one somehow."

I knew exactly what she meant, but I didn't have words to explain it. I must have paused too long because she added, "I know it sounds strange, but I wanted you to know that was so different from anything I've ever experienced before." Her voice had an edge of uncertainty to it, so I knew I needed to say something and it needed to be reassuring.

"I understand what you are trying to say, because I felt it too. I've never felt the things I do for you with anyone else before so I shouldn't have been surprised that it carried over when we made love. I wasn't prepared for how I would want to try and pull you into me, like I needed to you as close to me as possible." I had to stop, I was rambling and tough guys don't ramble. Besides I could tell from the little sound she made that she understood what I meant and it was enough to get my point across.

There was nothing else this night needed to be perfect so I allowed myself to shut my eyes and hold her tightly. I was nearly asleep when she said, "My dad told me it would be like this with you. Now I understand what his note meant." My eyes shot open and any state of relaxation I had achieved before was completely gone.

She and her dad had talked about us having sex? What did his note say? Why would they be discussing me at all? I'd only talked to the man for a few minutes when I went to his house to yell at his wife. Ah, shit, Steph took this moment to go to sleep. I had planned on the peaceful slumber of a satisfied man, and now it looked like I would spend the night tortured, trying to figure out what Mr. Plum had said.

As if she took pity on me, she said on a sigh, "He knew you loved me, said it was written all over your face." Well, at least I didn't need to worry about him shooting me for the obvious glow that was on his daughter's face. I'd heard the phrase 'basking in the afterglow' and always thought it was load of crap. But seeing the shine on her face and the flush that wasn't fading made me realize it was the most appropriate expression. I yawned thinking she definitely had afterglow and I was most certainly basking in it.


	14. Young Guns

_All of the characters belong to JE and any praise or glory is hers alone._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) you are the greatest Beta. Thank you for patiently working with me. _

**Chapter 14 – Young Guns**

From the moment I woke up I knew this day was going to be off in some way. For starters Stephanie was wide awake and staring at me instead of the other way around. Secondly, when I looked at the clock, it was already 8:15. Hell, I can't remember ever sleeping this late even when I'd gone through extreme sleep deprivation. Now I had to hurry and get out of here in order to meet Binkie in time for our shift. I hated rushing in the morning with Steph, especially after last night. I didn't want her to misinterpret my hurry to get out of here as a desire to get away from her.

Of course, Steph was a smart girl and the fact that her hand was currently stroking my very developed erection under the sheet should tell her I definitely wanted to be here. I was torn between wanting to just lay here and let her finish what she had so expertly started and needing to get up soon.

"I was wondering what it would take to wake you up," She said with a smile.

"Good morning," I growled in my just awake scratchy voice.

"I think it's about to be," She challenged, briefly knocking any thought of responsibility out of my head. "What time do you need to meet Binkie downstairs?"

I swallowed as she squeezed a little harder just as I was about to answer. "Quarter 'til nine."

"Hmmm, thirty minutes and you need time to get ready too," She said as a statement of fact. With no warning, she flung the covers back and straddled me with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Then we have no time to lose if we're going to get you to work on time."

With that she pulled as much of me in her mouth as was possible, leaving her hand wrapped around my base. I hissed audibly and nearly came off the bed. She gave me a few seconds to adjust to the feeling of being in her before she began to move working her hand and mouth in sync and driving me crazy. Hell, it had been eight hours since I'd cum, well five if you counted the time during the night when her hips began moving against me and I couldn't help but slip in her. Still, it had been a while and this felt beyond incredible.

I was losing my ability to stay still on the bed and when her left hand moved from my thigh to massage my balls I lost it completely and growled out her name. She softened her grip and slowly began to suck every last drop I had left to give before sitting up with a very satisfied smile on her face.

Moving up to my face she whispered, "Now it's a good morning."

"I couldn't agree more," I told her before honestly confessing, "Now if I can just get my legs to move then I'll be able to get ready for work."

She laughed out loud clearly enjoying my attempt at humor not really recognizing how serious I was. I felt like I'd run a marathon last night and I was glad we had a low risk surveillance shift to work instead of a more demanding job today. I pulled on yesterday's clothes and leaned down for one last kiss before drinking in the sight of her naked and lying against the pale white sheets in disarray.

"We'll pick this back up where we left off when I get back tonight." I promised her and got a sultry expression of agreement in return.

I made it to the basement at the exact time I needed to with not a moment to spare. Binkie was leaning against the SUV with a smug look on his face glancing between me and his watch. "I was starting to worry I was going to have to send in a search party." He teased.

I decided to shut him up so I threw him the keys and called him a smartass. His eyes got bigger and he said, "You sure?" looking at the driver's side.

"You do have a valid license, right?" I asked getting in.

He dashed over to the left side and climbed in looking very pleased with himself. "Did I do something to prove myself worthy of this great honor?" He was pressing his luck with the teasing, beggars shouldn't be choosers.

Now I was at a loss. Typically after a night like I had I would have made some rude comment about him having gotten more sleep but I didn't want to make a joke about what Steph and I had just shared. Instead I just went with an offhanded, "Just shut up and drive" and sighed in relief when it seemed like he was going to follow my instructions for once.

An hour into our shift there had been no movement at Lopez's office and my lack of sleep was catching up with me. As much as I hated to do it, I needed to talk to Binkie in order to stay awake so I went with something easy and asked him, "How's Alyssa?"

Then I realized why I didn't talk much when he answered, "I have no idea. I think I'm in trouble and Steph told me I should talk to you for some advice."

I needed to have a little talk with Stephanie about not volunteering me for relationship advice. "Why do you need to talk to me?"

"Alyssa and I went out a couple of nights ago and we ran into her ex-boyfriend. According to her, I got a little 'alpha-male' and Alyssa said I was being possessive in a way that made it seem like I didn't trust her. I tried to explain that I didn't like the way the jerk was looking at her, especially since I knew they broke up because he was getting a little rough. So now I need to apologize for just doing what I thought was right, but I don't really understand what I did wrong."

Christ, if I ever found a manual on women I'd need to get my partner a copy of it too. I let out a slow whistle and ran my hand through my hair. "There's nothing wrong with being protective, but you can't get possessive about it."

"I guess I don't get the difference," He admitted and I had to feel sorry for the kid.

"Okay, the difference is when the jerk approached did you get behind her or in front?" I asked him already knowing what he was going to say.

"In front, I didn't want him getting too close." He answered innocently.

"That was your first mistake," I explained. "In front means, I don't think you can take care of yourself, standing behind her gives the impression that you are there to support her."

"I guess then when he asked if she was busy the next day for coffee I shouldn't have answered," He volunteered.

"Tell me you didn't tell the guy she was busy," I wondered.

"Yea, I think I said something about how he needed to get lost while he still had the ability to walk away." Binkie admitted. "How did you do it yesterday with Ranger? I mean I saw you getting worked up right before Steph came to life and stood up to him. How did you hang back and let her do the talking?"

"I had to, it was about her. If I had followed behind her it would have looked like I didn't trust her and that's not the way it is. I wanted to support her so I stayed where I was; I couldn't step in between them." I told him.

"When Ranger bent down to kiss her I thought you were going to lose it." He admitted.

I pinched the bridge of my nose remembering how close I came to doing just that. "You have no idea. But I had to let her deal with it first."

"Alright, I can see now what I should have done, it's just hard to step back when she could be in danger." He said sounding young and inexperienced.

"Don't get me wrong, man. If Steph was in danger, I'd be in the middle of that to protect her. But if it is a situation that she seems capable of handling, then you've got to back off a little until she asks for your help or the situation changes to warrant it." I explained, feeling like a relationship guru. If only it was this easy to work out my own issues.

"Thanks for the help, Ram," He said quietly.

"No worries, I've got your back," I assured him. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I saw movement at the window of Lopez's office.

Binkie saw my expression shift and his head snapped forward. "Is that Lopez?"

"I think so," I replied having trouble seeing from the distance we were away. I saw the door open and two guys walked out nervously glancing in every direction before Lopez appeared behind them. A big dark green Navigator pulled up and all three climbed and heading east.

"Follow him," I instructed, regretting giving him the keys since I didn't know if he was any good at maintaining a tail. I put a call into Tank and he said to stay on that car no matter what and they would track our location to send out some back up.

They seemed to be taking a scenic route to wherever they were headed, but we eventually drew close to a private air strip outside of town. I called Tank back with our location and he said Ranger and Lester were only sixty seconds away and would back us up. He didn't want Lopez to get on that plane, but our suspicion was that someone was coming in, not leaving.

Sure enough, I saw a black Porsche pull up behind us and a short while after that, a small Cessna land in front of us. It looked like whatever was going on was about to become apparent. My phone rang and I answered it to Ranger's voice. "If that's Alonzo, I want him taken down immediately, but not dead."

"Understood. Witnesses?" I wondered if he wanted me to go to the cover of the trees and do it in stealth sniper mode or if I could just shoot him from the truck.

In true RangeMan fashion he answered, "Aren't our concern. Once you get a shot off and he drops I have a feeling they'll take care of themselves. We'll provide cover if necessary." I heard paper crinkling in the back ground and imagined the look of horror on Ranger's face as Lester was filling his mouth with Double Bubble and setting his jaw in motion.

I hung up having received all the instruction I was going to get and climbed into the back to get my sniper's rifle and assemble it from the case. The rifle I used the night we got in the shoot out with Alonzo's guys was a standard RangeMan gun, this little beauty was all my own and even though I snapped it together quickly, I still handled it reverently. Binkie let out a whistle most people would reserve for a fine looking woman. That's part of what I liked about the kid, he had good taste in weapons.

Knowing he needed some instructions I told him, "I'm going to take Alonzo down. If things get ugly, provide cover, but we aren't interested in who the other people are or if they get away." Then I opened my door, but thought better of it and added, "And for God's sake be careful. If something happens to you, Steph will have my ass."

Binkie called out after me, "Man, and I thought you cared. All this is just to impress your woman."

He had no idea the lengths I had gone to impress that woman.

The door to the plane opened and a set of stairs was lowered. A man walked out in a business suit. He looked like Alonzo, but his hair was shorter and he looked thinner than the pictures I'd been given to review. I picked up my phone and dialed Ranger again. "Is that him?"

There was a brief pause before he answered, "Affirmative." I shut the phone, picked up my rifle and found him easily in my scope. I took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger getting the bullet in his upper thigh, exactly where I wanted it to go causing him to collapse on the steps.

Just as I suspected the guys with Lopez instantly jumped back in their Navigator and took off like a bat out of hell. The plane came to life again and Alonzo was shoved off the bottom step with no care for his injury. Damn, there's nothing like a little gunfire to show you who your real friends are.

I saw Ranger and Lester make their way over to Alej and bend over to check out his damage. He motioned for Binkie to bring the SUV over to them. While Binkie drove over I saw Lester pull some materials out of his pack and begin giving him some basic first aid. Having served as Bobby's partner for years had clearly taught him a few things.

Les got him patched up well enough to transport back to Haywood so we loaded him in the back and Les jumped in to ride with him. Binkie took off leaving me with Ranger as my ride. I guess this would be the first test of my theory that we aired everything out last night. The ride was silent for the first five minutes before Ranger said, "Steph okay this morning?"

"Yea, she's good," I said, trying to keep from thinking about just how good she was this morning.

"I'm assuming she's sporting a glow to match yours?" He pressed his point.

What was I supposed to say to that? 'Why yes she does. I spent the better part of the night pleasuring her and when I left she couldn't even get out of bed.' No that was definitely not the right approach so I went with a more subtle, "It seemed that way to me."

I could have sworn the man chuckled, but when I turned to look at him his blank face was clearly in place. We pulled into the garage and he added, "Take care of her man. In all the world there is no one like my Babe." I wanted to take offense at his pet name for her and tell him it was no longer appropriate for him to call my girlfriend Babe, but I realized I might be crossing that line Binkie had just discovered with Alyssa. I decided to just nod and get out of the car as quickly as possible.

I went in to thank Tank for sending the back up but he motioned for me to come in and shut the door. I followed his instructions internally rolling my eyes at the thought of having to sit through yet another lecture about how I would suffer if I ever hurt Stephanie. Honestly, did the guys think I was a complete idiot? If they gave it any thought at all they would realize the chances of her hurting me were much greater. Still, if a lecture is what it would take to keep the peace, I would endure it; especially from the guy responsible for me having a job here in the first place.

"I understand you took down Alonzo this morning?" He began.

I nodded that was true and he continued, "Ranger will take care of the information extraction once Bobby gets him patched up enough to bear it. In the meantime, we need to catalogue the weapons that the team cleared from the warehouse near Stark while Lopez was gone. There were three trucks full and most of them fall into the standard categories, but a few of them are specialty weapons and I want to go down and take a look at them to offer your opinion of what they were modified to do."

Hell, this job was right up my alley. "Do you want me to go now?" I asked.

"No, they need a chance to work through all of them. I'll have them send you a page to let you know when you should check it out." He advised me. "In the meantime, since you're thinking about guns, I wanted to talk to you about Stephanie."

And here it comes. "It's our hope that she will consider working at RangeMan full time, but for her to do that, she'll need to pass a weapons test. I want her to spend a little time at the range, and I want you to get her comfortable with several guns. We can't leave her unprotected when this is over by failing her and not training her better than we have." I agreed with every word he said, but I wasn't so sure how she would take it from me.

"I'll see what I can do," I told him careful not to promise more than I could deliver. It seemed like Tank was done talking so I stood up to leave. Two steps from the door he said, "By the way, I don't need to tell you what will happen to you if Stephanie somehow gets hurt, do I?"

"Sir, no sir," I replied easily slipping into my standard military response. It's not like I didn't expect the warning.

I made it down to four and knocked on Stephanie's apartment door. It took a few minutes before she opened the door, running her hands through her hair as though she was still styling it. Her face lit up with an enormous smile as soon as she saw it was me. I really needed to talk to her about checking who was at the door before opening it. Sure she was safe here, but if she ever went back to her death trap of an apartment then her personal safety would be my top concern.

Who was I kidding, if she moved back there, I was going with her. There's no way I could let her go back there alone where any idiot could get past her useless excuse for locks.

I opened my arms and she melted against me. We stood in the doorway hugging each other, just taking comfort from the close contact. I took a deep breath and caught the smell of fruit and vanilla coming from her shampoo. "I missed you," She said as she let out a breath.

"Actually, Tank just gave me a new assignment which would allow us to spend some time together," I told her hoping I didn't just shoot myself in the preverbal foot for bringing this up now.

"What, does he need some searches run?" She asked not completely interested.

"He wants me to train you to use a variety of guns down in the range. If you're cleared to go back to full-duty he wants to see you working full-time at RangeMan, but in order to do that you'll need to pass a weapons exam. And I am your new instructor." I said, hoping she didn't run away.

"I don't like guns," She complained still holding on to me.

"I can help you with that," I tried explaining before brining out my trump card, "Besides, in the hospital you promised to let me try and teach you shoot using non-lethal means."

She pulled her head back to look me in the eye and narrowed her eyes a little. "I don't have to shoot to kill?"

I shook my head no, knowing she was going to go along with this because of that very thing. "When?"

I pretended to look at my watch before saying, "I just happen to be free right now, and there is some empty time at the range."

She rolled her eyes as though I'd asked her to single handedly scrub the floors with a toothbrush. But, being the trooper that she was she stepped back, keeping a hold on my hand and began leading me into the hall. "Let's go then," She said with absolutely no enthusiasm.

I however, felt like it was Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to see her with a gun in her hands. When we got down to the range Hector was just sweeping up some spent casings. I nodded to him in greeting and he smiled at Stephanie before leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. She touched two of his tear drop tattoos and smiled in return. I think she is the only person who has ever been brave enough to touch Hector's face, but his expression told me it was expected as though she did this all this time. Damn if that girl hadn't gotten into everyone's heart here.

I pulled my berretta out of my ankle holster and showed her how to load it and hold it. Then I positioned my body right behind hers and was temporarily distracted by the feel of her against me. I shook my head to clear it and got her in a proper stance. Then I put her ear protection on and put in my own plug before pointing to the paper man at the end of the lane and using my hand to signal that she should shoot at it. I saw her sight the target and then curiously she turned her head, closed her eyes and then pulled the trigger five times in succession.

I took the gun out of her hands and sat it on the shelf before hitting the switch to bring the target in. She removed her ear phones and seemed surprised that the target had five holes in the same general area all around the groin. I winced slightly thinking of what she was aiming for, and then I raised an eyebrow to her questioning why she aimed there.

She laughed and said, "You told me to shoot him where it would hurt. That seemed like the best possible place to do it."

"First of all, it's damn impressive that you hit the same area like that, most people who are new to shooting tend to drift in their aim and their shots go all over the map. So right off the bat you're way ahead of the curve. But, I think the first thing we need to work on is finding a way for you to keep your eyes open and looking at the target." I watched her expression change to slight embarrassment at my comment.

"Yea, I don't like guns," She repeated her now familiar excuse.

I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes. "How about this, let's pretend that you just came out of the mall with a big arm load of bags and someone is coming toward you intent on hurting you and stealing your stuff. You don't need to kill them, but you definitely need to stop them long enough to give you time to get to your car and drive away to safety. "

She seemed interested suddenly from the moment I said the word mall. With her new found studious attitude I spent the next hour showing her how to properly aim and discussing the various target points and what the end result would be. In the end she seemed to like my little Sig Sauer the best and had near perfect aim. I could call out a series of targets such as shoulder, left hand, right thigh and side and she could get them most of the time. It was like she was playing a game at an arcade. It was fun and even though she wouldn't admit to it she looked like she was getting comfortable.

I decided to stop while she was still enjoying herself. When we walked out I put an arm around her waist and said, "When we come back tomorrow I want you to wear a skirt."

She looked at me curiously so I explained, "I want you to practice wearing a thigh holster and getting the gun from it, taking aim and firing until you're comfortable."

Smiling she replied, "You just want to see me with a gun strapped to my thigh." As the words came out of her mouth I pictured it and groaned slightly at the image. The idea of her in the panties and bra from last night and a black wrap around thigh holster with a sig in it was almost too much.

When the elevator doors closed I leaned to her ear and whispered, "You have no idea what you're doing to me here." She moved so that she was in front of me and I could wrap my arms around her. As I pulled her closer to me she responded, "Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea."

The bell rang and we walked out together into an unsuspecting Binkie. "Leaving?" She asked him.

He was sporting a big goofy grin and told us, "Yep, Alyssa is going to give me a chance to apologize in person so I'm picking her up from work right now."

"Good luck," I called out thinking to myself that he would need it.

Before we could reach her door, my phone indicated I had a text message and I checked it quickly. It was from the guys in the basement, they had catalogued all the weapons and had set a few to the side for me to analyze. I didn't want to be away from Steph right now so I asked if she wanted to go down and take a look with me.

I didn't think she was too excited about the task at hand, but she didn't seem to want to have any distance between us either, so she agreed and we got back in the elevator to go down. When we stepped out I could almost smell the oil from the guns. There were huge piles of automatics, semi-automatics and assault rifles that have no business ever being used in an urban setting. Vince waved me over to an eight foot table where they had six different guns laid out. At first glance they appeared to be recognizable and I wasn't sure why they needed me here.

Vince picked up the first, a Glock similar to what I carried and handed it to me. He then pointed out the discharge area where the casings would come out after each shot had been modified. There is usually a small tip on the end of the action cover where the waste is discharged, but it was filed off. It didn't make a different in the working of the gun, but if it ever jammed, it would be difficult to fix quickly without a lever to open it with.

I sat it down and moved to a revolver. The safety on it had also been filed down so that there was nothing sticking out of the gun in anyway. I was vaguely aware of Stephanie standing beside me looking at what I was doing, but I assumed she was just trying to show an interest in my work.

When they handed me a rifle I noticed the shoulder rest had been angled differently. When I braced it against my own shoulder it moved and I thought whoever did this had no idea what they were doing. This was no longer a safe weapon. I looked back up at the guys and said, "Shit, I have no idea why someone would ruin these guns like this." I was completely at a loss.

I turned to leave but saw Stephanie holding the rifle I had just sat down and smiling. "What?" I asked her wanting to know what put that expression on her face.

"Someone fixed this, so it fits now." She said.

"Fixed it how? They ruined the butt of the gun so that it slides off the shoulder," I explained but she shook her head.

"Yes, it falls off your shoulder, but because of the length of my arms and the way I like to hold things closer to me, I've never liked bracing a gun on the boney part of my shoulder like you're supposed to. I put it here," She said, indicating the juncture of the arm and chest. "With the usual contour of a shot gun or rifle it slides or doesn't feel good, but this one has been angled so it stays comfortably."

This gun had been modified for a woman? Hmmm, you learn something new everyday. As a challenge I gave her the Glock and pointed to the hold that had been removed and asked why she thought they would need to do that.

She held it in her hand and moved it around, then she pretended to holster it in different areas of her body before saying, "This is a right handed gun right?"

"Technically, it can be used either way, but because the casings come out the left side, away from your firing arm, it would be considered right handed. Why?" I had no idea what she was thinking, but the smile on her face told me she had an idea.

"If I were wearing this with a thigh holster," She began sliding me an unbelievably sexy smile when she said the last part, "The point there would be rubbing against my leg and if I had on stockings or hose they could get snagged by it."

So this gun was modified for a woman too? I quickly handed her the revolver and pointed out the reduced safety which she smiled over and said, "That being smaller would help you not to catch your finger nail on it, if you had the longer acrylic ones that are popular now."

"Well, fellas, it appears we couldn't figure out the modifications to the guns because they were all made to fit a woman's needs." I reported, proud of her ability to figure it out. But when I looked back her I noticed her eyes had a far away look to them.

I walked closer to her just in time to her say, "That can't be right." Steph bolted to the elevator and I caught up with her just in time to jump in. She was half mumbling to herself, obviously thinking out loud without being aware of it. I was trying to piece together what she was thinking about from her phrases, but I couldn't pick up enough for it to make much sense.

When she stepped off on the fourth floor she said, "Can you bring me everything you have on Maria Alonzo?"

I nodded and went to Tank's office to gather the file we had compiled over the last month. Tank raised an eye at my sudden appearance in his office. I said simply, "Steph got a feeling."

He nodded for me to get whatever I needed and I carried the medium sized file to Stephanie's cubicle. She had her computer booted up and was pulling Maria's arrest record. I tried to save her some time and said, "She was busted three times for breaking and entering, but it wasn't anything major. Other than that, her record is clean."

"That I know," She told me, "But I need to know what she was trying to break into." Her eyes scanned the report on the screen reading faster than I could keep up. Apparently she found what she was looking for because she slapped her hand down on her desk top and said, "We've got the wrong guy!"

"What?" I asked, not wanting to disagree with her, but knowing Alonzo was definitely involved in this.

"Well, he played a part, but he isn't the one behind it." She explained.

"Do I need to get Tank so you can tell us together?" I asked.

"No, you need to get the whole team. We've been looking at this the wrong way. I'll pull everything together and you get everybody in the conference room." She instructed. Seeing that take charge persona reminded me of her on top of me last night - and this morning. I had to remind myself this was not the place for those kinds of thoughts. I had no idea how much of a turn on it would be to see a woman so in control, but working closely with Stephanie just got so much more interesting.

Trying to focus my attention on the task at hand I sent a message to the team telling them Steph had uncovered something vital and to meet in the conference room in fifteen minutes. Then I turned my attention back to the blue eyed wonder in front of me.

Her printer was working double time trying to keep up with the number of documents she sent there. Her eyes were dancing in thought and she had a sparkle to her that was gorgeous. She clearly loved solving a mystery.

As if she understood what I was thinking she leaned back in her chair and swiveled to face me. "I do like solving a mystery, and I like finding details that no one else considered. But don't you think for one minute that I'm so distracted by this that I forget your promise from this morning to pick up things where we left off. I believe you owe me." She said with a teasing smirk.

Oh good Lord, to be held to such a promise, I would gladly serve to pay off my debt. I wonder how fast she can explain this so we can get back to the good stuff?


	15. Pulling it Together

_JE created the characters; I just amuse myself with them._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan), thank you so much for your constant support and encouragement of this story. You see Ram like I do so handing him to you for your Beta magic has been fun._

**Chapter 15 – Pulling it Together**

The guys came right away to the conference room. Ranger was the last one to enter and his hand showed a few scrapes that told me Alej wasn't being as forthcoming with the information as we wanted him to be. Perhaps a little break in the "convincing" from Ranger would help him to see things our way.

Steph came in with a stack of papers and that distinct sparkle in her eye. Not waiting for anyone to ask, she jumped right in with her explanation, "I think we've pegged the wrong person as the mastermind behind the whole gun running thing." She sat down in a chair next to me and began unpacking papers to explain her theory.

Once she had herself organized she started again. "I was with Ram in the basement looking at the weapons and realized that they'd been modified to better suit a woman and it got me thinking about Maria, Alej's sister."

"Babe," Ranger interrupted, "She has a minor record, some low level B&E, but nothing like this. The amount of money involved in this was huge. I don't think she's involved beyond the threat delivery to you."

"I thought that too, until I went back and looked at her B&E charges. She was caught breaking into an attorney's office and at the time they said she took the cash box which had a few hundred dollars in it. But when I went back and looked at which attorney she chose to burglarize, it was Tony Lopetti."

When she said his name Lester and Tank both let out a breath. Lopetti was well known as a scum lawyer who represented most of the crime bosses and gang leaders. He specialized in getting people off on technicalities and working the system in the favor of his clients.

"Suppose she only grabbed the box as a cover for her real reason for getting in there which was to look at some of his client files." She proposed.

Ranger spoke up again and said, "It's possible, but that's a bit of a stretch."

"Well, the next time she was busted was when she broke into the house next door to Lopez's warehouse. They didn't find anything that she could have taken, which seems strange, but through some digging I found out that it used to be owned by the same company as the warehouse. There was a tunnel connecting the two units underground. She would've had access to whatever Lopez had in storage at the time." She furthered her case.

Ranger had his fingers steepled under his chin thinking, but he still didn't look convinced.

Steph laid out her last piece of information by saying, "The final arrest was for forced entry at the residence of one Lottie Billias."

I looked around the table and the name didn't seem to be registering with any of the guys.

"Lottie's older brother is Sam Billias of the ATF bureau here. She's got a small drug problem, but Sam takes care of her on the side." I could see where Steph was going with this.

Apparently, so did Ranger. "So tell us how you see these connecting."

"I think she started at Lopetti's office to find some people she could pressure into working with her on a side job to make some extra money. She also had Lopez's name and anyone familiar with the news knows he doesn't have much sense so it would be easy for her to control him with the promise of a big profit. Of course, she needed her brother to be the face man so her plan would have the credibility of being executed by a man and not a girl." She rolled her eyes as she said the last part. It's perceptive of her to consider Maria as being smart enough to frame her brother for a crime that she had fully planned and executed.

"Then she needed some weapons and someone to put the focus on Lopez, her scapegoat, but not on her. I'm guessing she found more than a little drug problem at Lottie's house and was able to use that information to pressure Sam into looking the other way or possibly helping her find a supplier for the guns." She finished explaining.

"That's a lot of dots to connect with just supposition." Ranger said, but he wasn't disagreeing with her which meant he could see its possibility as well. "Give me what you've got and I'll go have a talk with Alej and see what he feels like sharing when I show him how she set him up as the fall guy from the very beginning."

"There is one more thing," Steph ventured softly.

Ranger made a go ahead motion with his hand so she kept talking. "I noticed a few new charges on her credit card at the bar Alexander Ramos likes to frequent in Deal. They could be a coincidence, but it seems rather unlikely that Maria would have reason to hang out with Ramos unless she had an interest in guns."

"Proud of you Babe," Ranger said making me cringe again at the use of his nickname for her. "I'll let you know if Alej starts singing." It was obvious the association between Ramos and Maria was important and Ranger was now convinced of what she was saying.

He stood up to walk out but stopped by Steph's seat at the table to push a curl behind her ear. I'd seen him do it a hundred times before, but this time it was all I could do to stop myself from pushing his hand away. I needed to follow my own advice to Binkie and just stay to the side in support. She could handle Ranger. When he stood there a little too long she said, "Don't you have something to do?"

Ranger's demeanor changed when he realized she was dismissing him and didn't seem to be falling under his spell the way she used to. Clearly her relationship with me was something entirely different from her past with Morelli. He couldn't poach. I hadn't wiped the satisfied smile off my face when Ranger looked at me. His mouth tightened in a thin line before he walked out. Probably not a good idea to bait the bull, but I couldn't help myself.

As soon as he left the room, everyone praised Steph's work and then left to finish tying up loose ends. I expected that Steph would want to talk about the info she had just uncovered and maybe dig some around for more connections. I wasn't prepared for her to look at me and say, "Now, about this debt you are willing to work off."

I jumped up and pulled her to me tightly planting a heated kiss on her mouth. I knew we needed to get out of the conference room while we were still able to, so I reluctantly pulled away in order to lead her to the elevator.

Her grin grew when she realized where we were headed. When we got back to her apartment there was a burning need for the clothes to disappear and we each seemed to be stripping while briefly reconnecting to touch and kiss in order to keep the intensity up. She nodded her head to the kitchen and said, "Just how many times did you think we would make love last night that you needed that many boxes of condoms?"

I probably should have laughed her joke off and kept moving but my blood deprived brain allowed me to just blurt out the truth." I didn't get them; the bag was a gift from Bobby."

She stiffened immediately alerting me to the error in my statement. "What?"

"Bobby met me yesterday in the hall before I came in and he gave me the bag offering his congratulations to us." I figured at this point she was quickly building up steam so I may as well give her the whole story and take her temper all at once.

"The guys all knew we were having sex last night?" She asked turning a beautiful shade of pink.

"Bobby knew that Tristan had given you the green light and he has seen us together every morning for weeks now and knows how we feel for each other. I think he was trying to be helpful, not pushy." I hoped my explanation was doing it because I didn't know what else to tell her.

"So, he didn't tell everyone?" She asked in a much calmer voice.

"No, Steph, Bobby wouldn't do that." I assured her, hoping I was right. Then my foot decided to jump in my own mouth when I added, "But after seeing me this morning and you this afternoon, I don't doubt that everyone knows what we did last night."

That earned me a smile, "It's one thing for them to know about it after the fact, but it's something else entirely for them to be betting on it during the act itself."

I understood that completely so I decided to see if it was possible to reclaim some of the lost mood. "Well, if it's any consolation, I'll bet no one would suspect us of being here right now. They probably all think you're upstairs digging up more information on Maria."

Her eyes darkened immediately and she took the two steps toward me to press herself against me. "So, this could be our little secret?"

"Trust me Sweetheart, I'm a man of few words and none of them would be used to talk about our private life." I promised her.

That was all it took to relight the fire in her. She began pushing me backward still holding me to her and kissing any skin she could reach around my neck. I allowed her to back me up to the bed, but when my knees hit the covers I spun around and allowed her to fall first. Then I summoned all my strength and set about loving her patiently and fully like I had wished to do last night. When we finally came together it was a beautiful and draining experience. While she was still gathering her wits about her she said, "I've got to find a way to keep you in debt. That was unbelievable."

That's right, I'm a badass, and I've got a permanent smile plastered on my face.

"Any chance you would be interested in taking me to dinner at my parent's house tomorrow?" She asked effectively removing the smile.

"My dad called this morning and wanted to know if I was up for dinner. I can get him to pick me up but I thought it would be nice if I had someone there who was on my side in case things turn ugly." She said sounding a bit unsure of what to expect.

I rolled over on my side and propped my head up on my hand. "Of course I'll take you as long as you think I'd be welcome."

"My dad would like to see you. It seems you made quite an impression on him when you went to talk to my mother about food. He told me he thought you loved me because only a man in love would have volunteered to talk to my mother like you did to make me happy." She told me running her fingers along my chest. "It was a very sweet thing to do."

I kissed her softly, hoping she understood that I did it because I loved her. "I had no idea he gave me so much as a second glance." I admitted. "I'll be right by your side tomorrow night as long as you want me there."

"Hmm," She said with a playful tone. "That would be you doing a favor for me which would put me in your debt. How would I ever repay you?"

I growled in my throat at the suggestion and pulled her body flush with mine to speak in her ear, "You don't ever have to repay me. I do what I do because I love you, not because I want something in return. But if you want to show your appreciation, then be my guest."

Apparently Stephanie was very appreciative. An hour and a half later both of our stomachs were growling in protest for food so we pulled apart and managed to get ourselves dressed and ready to search for some food.

"How about soup and sandwiches?" She asked holding up the cheese and a can of tomato soup.

I nodded my head and accepted the ingredients as she supplied them to me. I got everything heated up and we sat down to our casual meal and ate in relative silence, occasionally stopping to touch each other. It was so easy to just be with her. She relaxed me in ways I didn't think I needed. And when I was away from her I missed the connection.

When we were finished she helped clear up the dishes while I checked my messages. Maybe the guys did know what we were doing as the first one was from Lester, "Yo man, if you can get off her long enough Ranger got some info from Alej and wants to brief you both." There was a brief pause before he said, "And don't insult me by coming upstairs acting all innocent. She'll be glowing like a Christmas tree, and we could hear the two of you in the hall. That girl's got some endurance now doesn't she." Finally Lester shut up and the message ended.

I debated telling her everything Lester said in his message and decided to not embarrass her any further so I went with, "Ranger got some info from Alej and he wants to brief us together."

She looked at her watch and nodded that she was okay with that so we went upstairs to find Ranger.

She knocked on his office door and he called out, "Come on in Babe, it's always open for you."

I took a deep breath to try and calm down from that open ended statement. Stephanie put her hand on my arm and said, "You have nothing to worry about. That ship sailed before he left me for Miami and I have no interest in going back."

I appreciated her acknowledgment of how hard it was to hear him speak to her in such a familiar way.

We sat down beside each other on the couch and Steph managed to scoot over toward me so that our legs were touching. I was thrilled that she was being so open about how she felt for me in front of him. I couldn't get away with claiming her in front of the guys, but thinking of her claiming me made me have to picture Grandma Mazur again to keep myself in check. Shit we just finished an afternoon of wonderful fulfilling sex and already I was imagining more. Thank goodness Tristan had gotten Steph's endurance back up.

Ranger shared how he took the information on Maria downstairs and made it sound like she had pinned everything on him to clear her own name. Although it certainly seemed that she was going to let Alej take the fall, the way Ranger worded it made it sound like he had those exact words from Maria's mouth. That was all it took for Alej to start ratting on his sister and detailing her plan to get the guns from the ATF agent and floating some of them through Lopez to cover her larger activity then sell the bulk of them directly to some gangs and a few other contacts. She had contacted Ramos, but according to Alej, Alexander wanted nothing to do with her. We all knew Ramos was a gun trader, but he seemed to have a certain moral code and his refusal to work with Maria just cemented that.

"With the confession we have from Alej, combined with the evidence you found, I think the feds will have a strong case against her." Ranger concluded. "Now all we have to do is capture her."

"How are we going to do that?" Steph asked, nearly giving me whiplash as I turned to look at her. I couldn't allow Steph to get involved in this. She was finally recovering from the injury that started this whole case and I couldn't bear to have her hurt again so soon. She stopped my cardiac arrest by saying, "Not that I want to be involved, I'm just curious how you plan on catching her. I think she's smarter than we gave her credit for."

"We'll find a way, Babe," Ranger told her sitting on the edge of his desk. "But if you come up with anything that you think would be helpful, please let me know. It seems your instincts have been dead on for this entire case."

"Not quite," She corrected him. "I missed the Maria connection entirely and because of that we got the wrong guy."

"Alej is still guilty. He had full knowledge of everything his sister was doing and he was helping her so he is still going down for his part in this." Ranger explained, making Steph relax a little.

We left his office but Steph's mind was still preoccupied so I gave her a little distance. Finally she said, "I need to make a phone call" and then took off to her cubicle to dig through the stack of cards on her desk. I could hear Binkie's voice coming from the break room so I told her I would be there if she needed me. I didn't want her to find my hovering annoying and I wasn't used to feeling so useless so I took my escape gladly.

I walked in and realized Binkie was talking to Lester and Bobby and they were laughing about something. I grabbed a bottle of water and sat down next to my partner, which was my first mistake. It was Binkie that first decided to bring up the dreaded subject, "Look at you, man. You look exhausted. Having trouble keeping up with a girl?"

I couldn't believe after all the ribbing the guys gave him that Binkie would now turn on me. Apparently we had created a monster. I took a long drink of water trying to come up with a witty comeback.

"Leave him alone," Lester jumped in. "The guy probably can't hear you over the ringing in his ears. All that close contact screaming had to have an effect."

It was kind of funny, but I still didn't like the fact they were talking about Stephanie. Picking on me is one thing, but talking about her was too much. Of course before I had a chance to say anything she chose that exact moment to walk in. I have to assume she heard at least a little of Les' remark because she decided to sit in my lap by straddling it. I could feel the heat between her legs through the zipper of my cargos and I began to react to it immediately.

"I've got it," She announced.

Forgetting the guys momentarily I replied, "You certainly do," while ever so slightly raising my hips to press lightly against her. Momentarily her eyes seemed to glaze over before she came back to the reason for her visit.

"No, I know how you guys can get Maria." She clarified, while swatting my shoulder. That took care of the growing problem in my cargoes.

"How?" I asked waiting for her to explain.

"I called Alexander and told him what happened with her and how she had me shot as a message to get Ranger to back off." She began.

"Wait, you just picked up the phone and called Alexander Ramos?" I asked, curious how she even got through to him.

"Sure, we met a couple of years ago, when I was working on a case. Anyway, I helped him out a little and he seemed to like me so he gave me his personal cell phone number and told me to call him anytime I needed help. I've never called him, but this seemed too good to pass up." She explained.

She never ceased to amaze me. Of course Ramos had no choice but to be wooed over by her. She had that effect on everyone she met. Hell, every guy in this break room would drop anything and come running if she asked us, why should Alexander be any different?

"Anyway," She pressed on to give us the details on her idea. "I asked him if he wouldn't mind setting up a meeting with Maria. Since her big plan seems to be falling apart, maybe she might be interested in dealing her arms directly to him at a reduced cost. He can arrange a time for them to meet and during the meeting his security can protect him and we can nab her."

"He agreed to that?" I pressed.

"Sure. He said things had been getting dull lately and if I would be involved it was sure to be a good time so he was happy to help. He also said if we didn't get her, he could have her eliminated. He wasn't very happy about her using me as a message." She added.

My hands which had been resting on her thighs gripped tighter when she said the last part. I wasn't too happy about it either and hoped if Ranger agreed to this plan I could be involved in the group that took her down. I can't believe we had her in our grasp and we didn't realize she was the one hurting Stephanie.

Ranger came into the break room and Steph didn't move an inch while she explained her plan to lure Maria to Deal for a set up meeting with Ramos. "When will you have the details?"

"He said he would call me tonight and leave the information on my voice mail. He also said he'd have Angelos call you to discuss Alexander's security requirements. He will have his own team there and they aren't interested in capturing her. She's creating bad business for Ramos so they would act first, ask questions later." Steph explained.

Ranger nodded. This wasn't new to us. We might appreciate the code of ethics he seems to stick to, but the guy is still a major arms supplier so you can't overlook the fact that there was probably a life or two lost in the building of his empire.

It seemed we had covered just about everything that needed our attention today so I looked at Steph trying to ask her if she was ready to head back downstairs without saying it out loud. She proved our ESP was as solid as ever by nodding her head yes and jumping up from my lap, but not letting go of my hand.

"We'll see you jokers tomorrow," I called out as we made our way to the door.

When we walked out I distinctly heard Lester say, "Lucky Bastard," and then there was the satisfying sound of someone hitting him followed by Ranger ordering him to the mats at 0500.

The next day came too soon for my liking as we were awakened by a phone call from Tank informing us that the meeting was going to take place at 0900 and we needed to be dressed and ready to go in forty-five minutes.

I assumed when the newness of our physical relationship wore off we might get more sleep and I would once again be capable of rising before 0800, but for now that was a bit of a stretch. "We have to get up," I told a grumbling Steph who was lying completely on top of me as though I was her personal body pillow. I was disappointed that we couldn't enjoy the way our hips were currently lined up, but I had to get moving.

I told her I had to leave in forty-five minutes and needed a shower first. When I used a singular noun insinuating that she wasn't coming her head jerked up with alarming speed. "What?" I asked.

"I'm coming too," She insisted.

"But Steph, between Ramos' guys and Maria's guards there could be big time trouble if one of them gets an itchy finger." I tried explaining my concern.

"And this would be different from any other day in my life because why?" She asked, clearly expecting an answer.

"Because on any other day of your life you have one maybe two psychos after you and we can surround you to keep you safe. But you don't need to be here so you would be putting yourself into an unstable environment for no reason." I defended.

"For no reason?" She said building up to a full head of steam and sitting up to put some distance between us. "I guess you're right. It's not like I know anything about what's going on. It's not like my life has been impacted by her actions. It's not like I have any idea what the plan is to grab her. I'm just the person who pulls the shit together and then has no reason to be involved."

Damn, she made a good point. "Shit, Steph, I know you are used to the danger of the crazies that always seem to surround you, but this is new to me and I don't know how to willingly let you walk into a room of hostile people that want to hurt you without trying to keep you behind me and completely protected." I confessed.

She gave me a loving smile and said, "I'm not asking you to let me storm the place. I'll stay in the com van unless there is something I'm needed for. I just don't want to be shut out." She pleaded not only with her words, but her eyes. I couldn't resist her anything at this moment with that expression on her face. Whipped didn't even begin to describe it.

I left her to get ready and when I stepped back in her apartment I was thrilled to see her dressed in RangeMan black from head to toe. The cap on her head was perfect with her curly ponytail coming out of the back and the slightly short polo that gave me a peek-a-boo glance of her belly button when she reached to grab some cereal off the top shelf of the pantry. It was just want I needed to plant a smile on my face. We quickly ate some granola before leaving the bowls in the sink and going to the door. I stopped suddenly causing her to run into my back.

"What's wrong?" She asked trying to figure out why my feet stopped working.

"Are you dressed?" I questioned her turning around to see if she understood the question.

She used her hands to pat her head, stomach and hips before saying, "I think so."

I shook my head no and reached around to the gun in the back of my pants. "Dressed?" I asked again.

She looked down, "I assumed if I was just sitting in the van that it didn't matter if I was armed or not. There would be plenty of guns on everyone else."

"Not a chance," I told her, taking her by the hand and leading her back to her bedroom. I helped her put on her utility belt and slid the pepper spray, stun gun and my second berretta in the holster. Then I put a thigh holster on the outside of her pants and gave her my back up knife as an extra precaution.

"Shouldn't that be under my clothes?" She wondered pointing to the knife clearly visible on her leg.

"No," I explained. "People will see it along with everything else and know you are armed, but they will assume you have some additional weapons they can't see. This gives you the perception of being a force to be reckoned with, and you are certainly that." I admitted trying to calm myself back down. My heart beat was definitely up from strapping the knife on her thigh. She looked like she could inflict some serious damage and the weapons on top of the bad ass black get up was about to do me in.

She seemed oblivious to my state and grabbed my hand pulling me up to get down to the garage. I allowed her to lead the way down to the garage while I just enjoyed the view of her backside bouncing down the hall. Her ass was perfectly framed in her pants and the knife and gun on top of the fitted clothes was making it hard for me to concentrate on anything else. Hell, who am I kidding, it was just making it hard in general.

When we got to the garage, there was a sea of black. Les was chewing on his gum with his earphones blaring to provide the rhythm for his newly bruised jaw to work. Woody was once again checking the oil in the com van that Steph would be riding in. Bobby was doubling checking his medic pack that he wore on his back, and Stephanie was just smiling at the whole lot of us.

"What?" I asked, curious at what she thought of our preparedness.

"It's like you guys are getting ready for camp. You look excited and there is this hum of energy in the air." Then she lowered her voice and got directly in front of me to add, "And looking at you standing there rubbing your gun down dressed in that skin tight shirt is about to do me in. This needs to go smoothly so that I can get you back here and rip that uniform off of you."

That was interesting. The adrenaline and the look of me armed was having the same effect on her as watching her walk had on me. I wrapped my empty hand around her waist and pulled her to me. I heard a deep voice clear his throat and knew Tank was about to hand out instructions. I didn't give a shit I was in the middle of kissing Stephanie and the damn instructions could wait. It wasn't until I felt someone smack the back of my head that I turned and saw a blushing Binkie pointing to Ranger who was staring directly at us.

"At some point you have to let the girl come up for air," Ranger told me. "I understand she had a respiratory injury and needs to be careful with her breathing." There was a subtle grin on his face, well hidden, but it was still there if you knew him well. He was glad to see us together. Stephanie was beaming and I wasn't too far behind her.

"Let's roll out," Ranger said loudly and everyone seemed to snap into motion at once. "You sure?" He asked me then glanced to Steph briefly.

I nodded yes. My heart was screaming 'no!" I want to lock her up some place safe but I knew that would never fly with Stephanie. To love her meant letting her go where she needed to go. Fortunately, my version of the instructions also gave me permission to be armed to the hilt while she was out there. If questioned, I hoped it would be the thought that would count.


	16. It's On

_JE created the characters and deserves all the credit._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) you are truly the greatest. Thank you for your tireless Beta work…neither illness, nor antibiotics, nor run-on rambling sentences are able to keep you from completing your work on this story. Thanks!_

**Chapter 16 – It's On**

The ride to Deal was silent which was almost unheard of since Steph was in the car. It's like she understood our need to get focused. When we arrived we parked two blocks away in front of a gated community as Ramos had instructed. Binkie and I got out and checked our weapons again. I saw Woody get out to walk around to the back in order to boot up the com center for the operation.

I put my hand on his arm to stop him at the side of the van. He looked at me questioningly. I just stared at him for a minute wishing he understood how much more difficult his job had become. Finally he broke the silence and said, "Relax man, she'll be fine. Besides, she is good company and I'll keep an eye on her." That was all I could ask so I just nodded and walked to the opposite side to remind Steph of her part in this operation.

"You promised to stay with Woody and in the van." I said, knowing my voice was coming out harsh but not able to control that right now.

She touched my face with only the pads of her fingers and my eyes shut. "Just pay attention to what you have to do in there. Get Maria, and be careful. I won't make your job any harder by doing something stupid." She told me allowing me to take a deep breath for the first time since we loaded up.

Then she walked over to Binkie and said something to him. Strangely, when she put her hand on his blushing face it didn't hook anything in me. I trusted them both and I knew whatever she was saying was probably something he needed to hear.

She turned around to make her way back to the van but I snaked an arm around her and drew her to me for one hot kiss. It felt different, like she was asking for something and clinging to me instead of holding me. When I pulled back I looked in her eyes and saw the concern there. "I'll be back," I promised her.

"You'd better be," She said a little breathless. "Getting shot doesn't excuse you from taking me to dinner at my parent's house this evening."

That joke put a smile on my face which I had to work to get off in order to obtain the focus I needed for this to work.

There were six of us and we needed to get in our positions hidden from sight before Maria and her goons showed up.

Ranger and I were inside the bar in a side room. It would give us the ability to hear everything that was going on and since Alexander would have his back to us, we would be able to see her face and get a positive ID before we stormed out. Binkie was behind the bar – an assignment he wasn't too happy about, but that way he would be able to support us, and still have the cover of the bar to duck behind if things turned ugly.

Tank was at the rear door, but there was a window there that gave him a view of the area with the tables. He would be able to see what was happening from the side. Lester and Bobby were at the entrance, hopefully hidden in the trees. They would let us know when she arrived and would block the exit if she tried to get away. Steph had practically given us Maria on a silver platter.

When Maria arrived she brought three guards with her. In addition to her car, a Navigator parked beside her that had three more men and Lopez. We hadn't expected to see him here because we'd assumed he was just a puppet, not a player in the whole deal.

It didn't matter. There were eight of them, but we didn't consider it to be stacked odds against the six of us. We'd definitely been up against worse and come out alright.

I could hear Alexander's voice when they entered the bar and he sounded completely at ease. There was no tension in his voice; if anything, he sounded genuinely pleased to be there. Maybe Steph was right and the old man was getting bored and needed a little adventure.

They made some idol chit chat and Ramos indicated he was interested in pursuing the weapons. Maria asked why he had such a sudden change of heart and he replied, "I heard you were having trouble moving them smoothly and it's better for all of us if the ATF doesn't begin putting their nose in this part of the country. My business could be impacted by the difficulties you are experiencing."

Apparently she took offense as she stood up quickly and said, "I'm not selling you my guns because you are afraid of pressure from the feds. If you want what I'm offering you're going to have to pay full price. Otherwise, this is just a waste of my time."

Realizing she was about to leave, and knowing that we now had a recorded confession that the guns were hers and that she was the one running the show, Ranger stepped into the room, gun drawn. "I'd say time is all you've got right now Maria," he threatened.

"Manoso, you just don't listen, do you?" She sneered at him and then nodded causing her guards to stand up and Lopez and his men to enter the room. Was she really so foolish as to think Ranger came in the bar alone?

Tank came in from the back and I walked over to stand beside Ranger. I controlled the smile that wanted to appear when I saw Lopez visibly pale at the sight of me. Maria's eyes narrowed as though she were trying to remember why I looked familiar too, but she gave nothing away if she made the connection.

"I've been listening for a while now, and it seems you've been busy." Ranger told her before adding, "And now we need to take a little drive so that you can explain all your plans to some people who are very interested."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," She said. I had to give her credit for her spunk. She wasn't backing down. When she turned around and saw Lester and Bobby blocking the door she hung her head and said, "You won't let this be easy will you?"

"It seems to me that's your decision," Ranger reminded her. Then he spoke quietly into his com unit telling Woody to bring the van around. I knew it was standard, to have an escape vehicle available, and to have both back up and transport for the target close by, but all I could think about was that his command was bringing Steph closer to what was undoubtedly about to become trouble.

I narrowed my eyes to bring my focus back on the scene at hand. The two guys closest to Maria had drawn their weapons and were pointing at Ranger. Since I was standing right beside him that made me a target too, but I refused to raise my gun yet. Maybe cooler heads would prevail.

A quick glance to the bar showed the actual bartender no where in sight but Binkie was standing there carefully watching the scene in front of him. His left hand was on the bar, but his right was by his side. I knew him well enough to know his Glock was in that hand so I knew he was ready and I didn't need to worry about him right now.

Then Alexander unknowingly set things in motion by saying, "I'm going to leave you all to work this out. I feel my presence is no longer needed."

Maria must have realized he set her up so she pulled her gun and pointed it at Ramos. That set his men in motion and the bigger one that I thought was Angelos drew and fired in her direction effectively knocking the gun from her hand. Not taking time to see that he hadn't hurt her, the idiots she had with her began to fire randomly at Ramos' guys and at us.

I picked off the two guards on either side of Maria leaving her standing in the middle alone. Ranger got the third one who was off to the side. Lopez fell and based on the sound of things that was all Binkie's doing. There were two more shots and it appeared the only people standing were RangeMen and a really pissed off looking Maria Alonzo.

Her eyes were filled with anger, not fear. I wasn't sure if she was crazy, or if she had a plan we didn't know about. She started taking steps backward heading to Les and Bobby's position. They didn't budge when she backed into them. When Lester nudged her forward a little with the barrel of his gun she smiled.

"You should look outside before you start celebrating," She warned.

Tank walked to the window and pulled back the blinds to take a look. He winced slightly, but covered it up quickly before reporting, "It looks like there is a van next to our com unit. Three armed men have their guns aimed at the driver of our vehicle."

He worded that sentence in an odd way. The driver of the vehicle would be Woody, but he didn't mention Stephanie at all. Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have let her come. Where was she?

"You'll let me walk out of here, or they will shoot to kill. Do you really want to lose your man to capture me?" She threatened.

Ranger nodded his head to Les and Bobby and they stepped aside to let her pass. We followed her out, still with guns in our hands to the parking lot out front. Woody was standing there with his back to the gunmen behind him and his hands on his hips. Something told me they had demanded he put his hands up and that was all he would do.

At first glance he was looking from me to the gunman to his right, but when I watched him closer he was looking past the goon, and into the bushes. It was hard to make out trying to hide what I was doing, but I caught the unmistakable sight of Steph hiding in where Les and Bobby had been stationed earlier. At least they didn't seem to be aware of her. I felt a wave of relief wash over me knowing she was out of harm's way.

Woody moved his hand to the front of his pants where I saw he had a Beretta hidden. I suddenly wished Santos and Brown were with us instead of watching the guys in the bar. I felt Binkie come up behind me which made me feel better about our odds. The kid had been dead on every time he'd needed to use his gun so I figured he could handle this too. Now I just needed to make sure Steph was going to be okay.

Woody was watching Ranger for an indication of what he should do. When Ranger gave him a barely noticeable nod, he pulled the gun from his waistband and spun around hitting one of the guys. Maria ducked and ran behind her guards but we were able to get them down easily. She had a little cover behind the van, but she also had another gun in her hand. We began to spread out a few steps, but she yelled that she had more than enough ammo to take us all out and we needed to stay where we were.

I caught a little movement to my left and assumed it was one of the guys trying to get behind her to take her down. I had my gun on her and could take a shot, but the only thing I had to target was her head because of the bad angle. I knew Ranger didn't want her killed if it could be helped.

Binkie took another step to his right and Maria's voice got louder, "Manoso, I'm not kidding, you better call off your guys or I'm taking this one down. His vest doesn't cover everything." Her gun shifted in Binkie's direction.

After no activity for a minute Maria appeared to gain some confidence and said, "That's right. I'll be leaving now." She took a few steps toward the car she came in before swinging back in my direction. I knew then she had finally recognized my face as the guy that drugged her in her house. Not able to control her anger at that thought she screamed, "You!" and lifted her gun. I knew she was about to take the shot and even though I didn't want to kill her I wasn't going to stand there and let her hit me. Just as I lined her up in my sight again I heard a gun shot and she crumpled to the ground.

I looked down as a reflex. I hadn't felt any bullet wounds, but I needed to be sure I wasn't hit. Then I looked and saw all our guys standing in a line on this side of the van. If the seven of us were here, then who the hell shot Maria? Did one of Alexander's men come back to help?

We carefully approached the van and I heard Binkie exclaim, "Well I'll be damned. Annie Oakley got her."

I jerked my head in the direction he was looking and Steph was standing there leaning against the van looking very pale but her gun was still pointed at Maria. There was a single gun shot to the chest. Bobby came around slowly and put his hand on Maria's neck feeling for a pulse. His lack of urgency in doing anything else told us she was dead.

I holstered my gun and walked over to Steph who had relaxed her stance a little, but still had a dazed expression on her face. When I got right up to her I took the gun from her hands and pulled her to me. It took a few seconds before she responded to my touch. When she finally snapped out of her haze she gripped her hands in my shirt and held on to me as though I were her only life line.

"I killed her," She stated as fact.

I refused to lie to Steph so I said, "Yea, Sweetheart, you did."

"I know I could have hit her shoulder or her leg to take her down, but when she pointed her gun and yelled at you, I got mad and I moved over to her chest." She admitted. "I shot her there because she was going to kill you."

She was explaining herself to me, but there was no tone of apology in her voice. Steph had thought through her options at the time and made the decision that would fit best in her conscience. Honestly, I would have done the same thing.

"I know, Steph," I said hoping to reassure her. "You did good. You saved me and you did the exact thing I would have done."

"You're not mad that I didn't stay with Woody?" She asked with her head nestled into my neck.

"Oh, I'm mad about a good many things that happened today, but not that you didn't stay with Woody." I told her before asking, "How did you know to hide?"

"Woody noticed that we were being tailed as we got closer to the bar, so when we got to the parking lot he came to a sudden stop in order to create a cloud of dust and told me to get out and hide in the bushes. Honestly, I wasn't planning on moving from that spot, but I saw that she was going to get away and I didn't want that to happen so I decided to sneak around and see if I could take her down. But then when she targeted you…" Her voice began to break a little at the end and I knew the gravity of what could have happened just hit her.

"When she targeted me," I finished her thought, "You were to there to watch my back and you handled it. I'm so proud of you."

She pulled her head back slightly, but still didn't let go of her grip on me. "You're proud that I killed someone."

"I'm proud that you used the training you have to assess the situation and you found a way to keep the team and yourself safe. You saved my life. I believe that puts me in your debt." I added, hoping I could get her to smile. It took a minute for what I said to sink it, but when it did she just hugged me tighter to her.

We heard the sirens approaching and I knew the blue and whites were on their way. We had to endure questioning for the next hour after the ambulance with Maria's body in it zipped away. The bar had cameras on the outside of the building which would clearly show the defense of a third party shooting so Stephanie was clear to leave. She'd been pale ever since the shooting and I was concerned that she still didn't seem to be getting her color back.

I caught Bobby's attention and he came over to us curious to see what I wanted. I looked at Steph and back up to him. Catching on, Bobby opened his kit and said, "Steph, honey, can I take a look at you. This has been a big day and I need to be sure you're alright."

She nodded, not really paying much attention. Her eyes were looking no where in particular and I knew she was feeling guilty for taking someone's life. I'd taught her to use her gun, but I didn't think she would ever learn to harden her heart and do what needs to be done without regret for the necessary action. At least I hoped not. It was the tenderness in her that most drew me in.

Bobby pulled the blood pressure cuff off and put a little monitor on her finger for a minute. I recognized the numbers that began flashing as her pulse rate and her oxygen level. I watched Bobby carefully to see if she was in any danger. He shook his head no when it beeped and stood up to say, "She's in shock. Her blood pressure and pulse rate are on the high side, but her oxygen level is fine so she's holding her own."

He pushed the hair that had escaped from her ponytail away from her face and said, "Why don't you get this guy to pick you up a milkshake on the way back home. The sugar would be helpful and he seems to like spoiling you."

I thanked Bobby but noticed she had barely acknowledged what he's said. This was where I was at a loss. There was nothing physically for me do. She was in her head right now, and sometimes we just need to work stuff out on our own. But at the same time, I didn't want her beating herself up or wallowing in guilt for doing what I was about to do myself.

Binkie came over and raised an eyebrow at Steph asking if she was alright. I shrugged a little not knowing how to answer him. "Hey Steph," Binkie said with more cheer in his voice than his face showed.

She let out a soft, "hey" in return which was at least an improvement over her interaction with Bobby.

"May I?" He asked looking at me, but holding his arms out to Steph. There was a piece of me that wanted to say no, wrap her in my arms and not let her go, but I knew Steph and Binkie had a special bond, like family but better because they chose each other. Maybe she needed family right now so I gently pulled her off of me and handed her to Binkie forcing myself to walk away.

Somehow I managed to make my lead legs move over to the rest of the guys. Tank saw me and said, "We're heading back." He threw me the keys to the truck he rode in implying I could bring Steph back whenever and how ever I thought best. "Binkie?" He asked as a follow up.

"Nah," I told him. "He can stay with us for a while longer." I said, looking back at him holding the woman I loved with big tears beginning to stream down her face. As much as I hated to see her cry, I thought it was an improvement. "We'll be back after a while."

Ranger looked at me for a minute and said, "She'll take this hard for a few days. She'll blame herself and not sleep or eat right. You've got to watch her for a while." I knew he was trying to be helpful and in some ways he was passing her care over to me which I knew was a big step in his acceptance of our relationship. Knowing that didn't keep from being irritated that he was talking to me like I didn't know her at all.

"I've got it," I said, quickly hoping he understood that I really did understand her and what she needed right now. At least I hope I knew what she needed now.

Ranger saw the sincerity on my face and walked away. Somehow I had a feeling that conversation was a lot heavier and deep than the words we shared.

When the other guys pulled away I went over to where Binkie was sitting with Steph against his side. She seemed to be calming down and when I approached she stood up and came to me. I couldn't admit it, but I was so glad she did that. As much as I trusted Binkie and knew he was good for her, I wanted to be the one she needed when she was upset.

I tossed the keys to Binkie and he got a smile on his face before saying, "I think you just like having a driver."

"Yea, that and I want to be in the back seat with Steph," I said regretting that it sounded like I was hoping for some action while we were back there.

Of course, Stephanie surprised us both by saying, "You can sit with me back there if you want, but I'm not necking with you if Binkie is watching."

My heart swelled again. If she was making jokes, even if she was still upset, I knew she would be okay. We climbed in the Explorer and Binkie took off toward Trenton.

"Where to?" He asked as we approached the highway.

I knew something that would distract Steph from today's drama for a little while. "How about we take Stephanie to your favorite diner and see if Alyssa can make her one of their famous milkshakes."

I felt his foot hit the accelerator. I wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to do something for Steph or because he was excited to see his girl during the day. Either excuse worked for me.

I kept Stephanie wrapped tightly in my arms and felt like she was beginning to relax a little. When we were about five miles out I tipped her chin up to look at me. I knew I needed to say something so I tried the first thing that came to mind, "Thank you."

"I couldn't let her hurt you," She confessed. "She was so close…" Her voice trailed off, but I knew what she meant.

"But she didn't. I know it was hard to think about it, but she didn't because you were there, and you knew exactly what to do." I tried to encourage her.

"When she went down I was so relieved. I was glad this whole thing is over, I was glad that she couldn't threaten me anymore, and I was glad that you were safe. I didn't feel the least bit of remorse about pulling the trigger." She admitted.

I knew exactly what she meant. "But then when Bobby said she was dead, I thought about it and realized that had to make me a horrible person for not feeling sorry for taking her life. I could have shot her like you showed me to take her down, but I made a decision to go for her chest instead because of her threat to you."

"I would have done the exact same thing, Steph. I would have taken her out and not looked back if the gun had been aimed in your direction." I assured her.

"I know it will hit me later, but right now I'm just so glad it's over." She said as a small shiver went through her. I knew the signs that her adrenaline high was wearing off. She was still not at one hundred percent, even if she had been cleared for work. I knew this crash would eventually allow her to sleep and I didn't plan on leaving her side the entire time in case her conscience decided to appear while she was sleeping and force her to relive it in her dreams.

Binkie parked the SUV and turned to look at us. I shook my head indicating we weren't coming in and told him, "Chocolate to go."

He ran inside and I could see him receive a big hug as a greeting as soon as he walked in the glass door. He told her something and pointed to us in the truck and Alyssa disappeared in a hurry. He came back out with two shakes and I spoke too quickly by saying, "No thanks, man," and only taking the one in his right hand for Stephanie.

Binkie got in and shook his head before saying, "Quit flattering yourself, this one is for me. She knows I like a little sugar after a day like this."

Steph took the milkshake from my hand and smiled at the interaction between me and Binkie. Whatever she saw, she seemed to like and I was relieved to see the happy expression on her face.

Back at Haywood I held my hand out to her and she took it while maintaining a death grip on the frozen treat from the diner. We made our way to the elevator and Binkie volunteered to turn in the keys to Tank and file our paperwork. I thanked him, anxious to get Steph upstairs and in bed.

When the door closed behind us I turned to see what I might be able to do for Steph, hoping she would give me a clue. She looked down at her watch and said, "We've got four hours before we have to leave for dinner with my parents, any ideas of how we should pass the time?"

I could swear there was more color to her cheeks now, and her eyes were holding mine almost daring me to try and look away. She sat down her cup on the bar and put her arms around my waist. I let out a long breath so glad to see her looking more like herself. Then I found myself saying something I never dreamed would come out of my mouth, "Would you rather talk about what happened today. You were pretty upset earlier and I don't want you to just deny that anything happened."

"I won't deny that anything happened, but I need to put off dealing with it for a little longer," She answered honestly. I could understand that. Sometimes a break in dealing with something horrible made it easier to distance yourself and you could be more objective.

She then went on to tell me exactly what she wanted. "I took someone's life today and I don't apologize for it. She was going to hurt you and I couldn't let her do it. I know it will hit me later and I'll be really upset about it, but right now I don't want to think about Maria or Lopez or guns. I want to concentrate on you and me and the fact that we are both okay. I need you to help me focus on nothing but us."

God must be smiling on me right now. I wanted something to do to make Stephanie feel better and he gives me this. Sign me up! I easily lifted her into my arms and proceeded to the bedroom. I stood her up on the floor at the base of the bed and knelt down to take off the knife at her thigh. Then I moved up to her utility belt and carefully laid it on the floor knowing the firepower that was attached. I took care of taking off my own outer weapons too and she just watched me patiently while her eyes seemed to grow an even darker shade of blue.

I decided to tease her a bit and toed off my boots and pulled my shirt off too before turning my attention back to her. She pulled in a ragged breath when I placed my lips right over the tender spot at the base of her neck. I let my hands roam all over her body touching her and affirming that we were both alright. I kept up the same motions of touching and kissing until she moaned. Then I pulled off her hat and shirt. I decided I missed seeing her crazy hair, so I pulled the tie out and let her curls fly free.

She noticed the smile on my face and slowly moved forward to lick my lips with her tongue. Now it was my turn to moan. As she continued to kiss me I managed to undo her pants and pushed them down enough to see she was wearing a black set of panties that were barely more than strings. I needed to buy stock in Vitoria's Secret. I loved their products and wanted to be sure she had a never ending supply of surprises for me to discover. I used to think of panties on a girl as a redundant layer of clothes that just needed to be removed, but Steph turned them into erotic art.

I wrapped my arm behind her back and gently lowered her to the mattress. From there we both used the next two hours to assure ourselves that we were alive and very well. Then I got the special treat of holding Stephanie while she slept and realizing that her rest wasn't being disturbed by dreams. In my arms, at least right now, she was safe.

I was the one living a nightmare. In an hour I had to face Stephanie's family.


	17. Understanding

_None of the characters are mine. JE gets all the credit._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan) thank you for working so hard as the Beta on this story._

**Chapter 17 – Understanding**

What do you wear to meet the parent's of your girlfriend when you are hoping to erase their last memory of you? Is there a color combination that says, 'Gee, I'm sorry about the last time I was here and I got on your case for being such a bitch?' Probably not. I guess that's why Steph told me it didn't matter what I wore. She knows it doesn't matter because her mother will hate me from the moment I walk in the door. I have no idea what her dad will think however. Steph seems to think he likes me, but regardless of what he told her in a letter, no father is a fan of the man trying to steal his baby girl's heart.

I'm screwed. Since that's the case, I may as well be comfortable. I put on a pair of tan Dockers and an olive button up shirt rolling the sleeves to my elbows and a pair of brown work boots. Hey, it's always good to be prepared in case Mrs. Plum jumps on Steph and I have to kick some serious ass. Speaking of which, I wonder what the appropriate number of weapons is to meet the parents. Is two guns, two knives and a throwing star too much? I should probably put the star back in the safe. I'm hoping there is no need for Kevlar, it would show under this shirt.

When I knocked on Steph's door to see if she was ready, she called out for me to come in. Really, is it too much to expect that she at least ask who it is first? "Hey Steph, it's me," I called out when I stepped in.

She came around the corner with a shoe in one hand and then proceeded to stand on one foot to put a strappy sandal on the other foot. God, she was gorgeous. She had on a blue dress that looked like a long piece of material had been wrapped around her strategically covering all the important parts. It stopped above her knee and swayed at the bottom while she hopped still trying to wrestle with the straps of her shoe.

"You should sit down before you break something," I teased her.

She rolled her eyes at me, making me laugh and giving me a chance to appreciate how blue her eyes were right now. I don't know if it was the dress or the glow her face had, but I'm rooting for the glow because then I can take some credit for it being there.

Succeeding in getting both shoes on, she straightened herself up and stuck her tongue out at me to make the point that she didn't need to sit down after all. She grabbed a small bag and looked at the contents checking that she had everything she needed. I couldn't help but notice how small the clutch was and it didn't look big enough to allow for her to have a gun in it. I did a quick double check of her back and side and saw no signs that she was carrying anywhere.

I didn't want to start an argument so I let it go, but made up my mind to bring it up to her later. If we were going to be together I needed to have some reassurance that she would take her own safety seriously. What if we got separated and she needed to defend herself? I'd have a heart attack if I thought she was alone and unarmed. Oh yea, we might be headed for our first big fight over this because this was a non-negotiable for me.

I took a deep breath trying to calm down and get my head on straight for dinner with the Plums.

"Are you alright?" She asked sensing my mood.

"I'm fine," I told her concentrating on making it true. "You look beautiful," I added, feeling a peace wash over me when she smiled at my compliment.

"Let's go get this over with," She said clearly not looking forward to the visit.

We made it to the garage and bumped into Binkie who was getting in his car for a date with Alyssa.

"Be good," Stephanie called out to him making him blush. "And don't forget what we talked about."

If it were possible, he turned an even darker shade of red before driving off with a wave.

I opened her door and stood there waiting for her to climb in and asked, "What did you guys talk about that has him so embarrassed?" I didn't want to pry, but I had to know how she got him so red.

As she climbed in the truck her dress rose up a few inches and I got a look at what I could have sworn was a holster with the little Sig I gave her at the firing range. She pulled her dress back over it immediately and then looked at me when I didn't shut the door. I was staring at the spot where I though she had a weapon and trying to get a hold of myself. That was quite possibly the sexiest glance of a woman's leg that I'd ever seen.

"What?" She asked with a laugh.

I put my hand on her right leg and made my way up her thigh under the edge of her dress. My hand found the holster and I followed it around until I touched the gun too. I couldn't move. She had armed herself, which made me proud of her, but the more urgent issue at the moment was the fact that I was now sporting a quickly growing erection at the image of her with the dress off wearing just her panties and bra and that gun.

She gave me a few seconds, but when I didn't move or respond in any way she began laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked still not taking my hand away, but finding the motivation to move the tips of my fingers around the bottom of the garter like strap around her thigh. It wasn't helping my problem any, but I loved the feel of it.

"You look surprised. Did you really think I had left the apartment without having at least one weapon?" She asked.

God I hoped that was a rhetorical question because I didn't want to have our first fight right here with no hope for make up sex for at least a few hours. I shook my head to clear it and she grabbed my hand through her dress to say, "If you don't stop that right now, we're not going to make it in time for dinner and I'm not going to be the one to call my mother and explain why."

I understood the threat and begrudgingly removed my hand and shut her door. Walking around to the driver's side I flexed my fist amazed at how warm that hand felt from touching her so briefly.

"So what was with Binkie?" I asked again hoping a change of subject would help me to get a grip and calm down.

Steph chuckled, "Well Binkie is hoping that tonight will be a big night for him and Alyssa."

"A big night?" I questioned foolishly.

"You know…" She hinted. "The big night for them."

"You mean they haven't had sex yet?" I asked having trouble believing he hadn't made a move since Alyssa seemed so into him at the diner.

"No, he really likes her and didn't want her to think the big muscle guy was only interested in a physical relationship so for their first few dates he took her places so they could get to know each other. Then they concentrated on doing things just to have fun, but yesterday she called him and informed him she wanted to cook dinner for him at her apartment and then they could just 'hang out' together after that." She caught me up.

"If they haven't done anything yet, how disappointed is Binkie going to be if Alyssa really only wants to hang out?" I wondered slightly worried about my partner.

"Trust me, she doesn't want to do that." Steph said with a laugh.

"How do you know?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Because she asked what time he had to be in for work in the morning and suggested he bring a change of clothes. Unless her cooking is a full body experience and Binkie is a messy eater, I think she wants him to stay the night, which means he may find himself on the receiving end of a very well planned out evening." She informed me.

I smiled, happy for him. "Good. Maybe that will help him to quit picking on me for what the two of us have been doing lately."

"Don't worry, I can put a stop to that if it gets to be too much." She interjected.

"How?" I wondered.

"I can remind him that he was asking me for details of things he should keep in mind for their first night together. Things he could do to make it extra special for Alyssa." Steph said revealing Binkie had come to her for advice on sex.

"Oh, he is so dead!" I chuckled. I may have his back, but this kind of information is almost too good to pass up using if necessary.

We pulled up outside the Plum's home and I was relieved to see only her Dad's cab in the driveway. I knew her mother and grandmother were there, but I didn't think I could deal with her sister and nieces too. There is only so much a man can take.

We were greeted at the door by her mother and Grandmother who both appeared happy to see us.

"Hello Stephanie dear," Her mom greeted, holding the door open for us to pass through.

"Mom, I believe you've already met Ram?" Stephanie said by way of an introduction.

"Yes, we've met, but Ram isn't really your name, is it?" Mrs. Plum questioned.

"No ma'am, it's Edmund Ramsey," I reminded her, happy that she was at least trying to be civil.

"Well Edmund, why don't you join Stephanie's father in the den while she helps me in the kitchen." Helen suggested, playing the role of the perfect hostess. Of course it was ruined when we walked by the den and she yelled out, "Frank, Stephanie and her boyfriend are here."

Frank jumped and nearly lost control of the remote before looking up and seeing us standing there. "Ram, right?" He asked turning his attention back to the television.

As soon as the voices of the ladies died off into the kitchen Mr. Plum turned to me with his full attention. "How is she doing?"

It was nice to see his concern for his daughter. "She's holding her own, sir. She was cleared to resume normal activity and went on an op with us this morning." I didn't think she would like me to share any other details about what happened.

"She looked happy," He commented moving his gaze back to the television.

"I think she is," I replied, not sure what else I could say to that.

Then he returned his gave to me and asked, "And what are your intentions with my daughter?"

And so the inquisition begins. How are you supposed to answer that question anyway? Do you go with an honest, 'I intend to protect her, to watch over her, and make sure she goes to bed every night satisfied?' Probably not. Afraid I'd waited too long I told him honestly, "I'd consider myself very fortunate if she'd let me love her, sir."

"Name's Frank," He corrected me plainly. "Anybody could do that, son. You've already shown you understand her when you came to my house to set her mother straight and give her a chance to make amends. That showed courage. But Steph is a strong girl, pigheaded even. Can you deal with that?"

Clearly, he not only loved his daughter, he understood her too. "Yes, sir," I responded quickly. Then I added, "I know she needs to have her freedom to be happy, and she needs a chance to live her life the way she wants to. I'll help her when she lets me, and protect her when she needs it. All I want is a chance to be there beside her for all of it."

"Can't fault you for that." He said, looking back at his game. Just as we heard Steph and her mother in the dinning room bringing the food to the table he leaned toward me and said softly, "But if you hurt her, I'll be the first one in line to teach you a lesson about mistreating my little girl."

I didn't doubt him for a minute. I'd been threatened by most of RangeMan and believed them all, but the undercurrent in Frank's voice was probably the most frightening of them all.

Dinner progressed fairly painlessly. Stephanie made sure I sat beside her Dad and she took the chair next to her grandmother. I would gladly be in her debt for that mercy measure. Shit, I couldn't think about paying off any debts to Stephanie right now or Grandma Mazur would notice my problem bulging in my khakis.

Helen brought out Pineapple Upside Down Cake for dessert. Stephanie's eye lit up in a way I thought only I could cause. Once I took a bite I got over my brief jealous fit. It was a damn good piece of cake. Unfortunately, I was slower than Steph in eating mine and when I looked up I saw her holding her fork watching my every move. I slid the plate a few inches in her direction and put my left hand on her leg. She grinned at me and happily set to work finishing off my cake. As much as I hated to give up something that delicious, the look on her face as her eyes closed with nearly every bite made it more than worth it. Of course it also made me have to steal a glance at Grandma Mazur in order to keep from embarrassing myself. This meal was like a vascular exam testing blood flow in various directions. At least I know everything works well.

Helen called Steph back into the kitchen to help her tidy up. I carried some dishes and sat them on the cabinet letting my hand trail down Steph's back before I walked out. Just before the door swung closed I heard her mother say, "I can tell he's attracted to you, but does he love you?"

I stood at the door for a moment wondering what I should do. I don't think I was meant to hear that comment so did I have the right to go back in and correct her mother? Should I just go back with Frank in the den and pretend I didn't hear anything? I was about to walk away when I heard Steph say, "Mom, please, that's enough," In a frustrated tone of voice.

My decision was made for me as I spun on my heels in an about face and walked right through the swinging door without thinking. "Mrs. Plum, I love your daughter. I know I don't talk much and it may seem sudden to you, but make no mistake, I know her and I love her for who she is."

Mrs. Plum seemed at a loss for words. In fact the next person to speak was Frank standing behind me. "That's twice Helen. If you keep interrogating this young man he may not come back, and quite frankly I wouldn't forgive you for that."

"Frank," Mrs. Plum began but she was once again interrupted by her husband.

"No, Stephanie loves him, and after talking with him before dinner I'm satisfied that he understands my little girl and loves her too. Now you can accept it, or you can deal with being cut out of her life." Frank didn't wait for an answer; he just stepped back out and sat down in the den. He was a man of fewer words than me, but when he spoke it seemed to always be important.

"Edmund, I don't doubt that you think you love her, but Stephanie can be difficult and I wonder what you will think when you realize how stubborn she is and when she is constantly calling you after getting herself into some humiliating circumstance." Helen explained her concern.

I touched Steph's curls and looked in her beautiful eyes when I answered. "I get her. I love how pigheaded she is; she is determined and never gives up and that's one of her best traits. She may get into some tight squeezes but I would never be humiliated by it. I'd be proud of how she handles herself with dignity in situations that other people would hide from."

"The proof is in the pudding," Mrs. Plum said, making it sound as though she wanted to believe me, but would only know for sure over time.

I didn't think her comment deserved a response so I leaned over and gently kissed Stephanie before whispering in her ear, "Good, I love pudding."

When I looked at Steph again, her face was a lovely shade of pink, and her eyes were a much darker shade of blue. I hoped this visit would end soon because everything about her was screaming for me to take her to bed.

Mrs. Plum interrupted our silent communication by saying, "Here is a bag for each of you. Edmund, I put an extra piece of cake in for you since I noticed you lost most of yours."

It wasn't much, but I was pretty sure that was an olive branch. I knew Helen didn't do emotions, so her affection would have to come from her kitchen.

We said goodbye to everyone and I only cringed slightly when Grandma Mazur pinched my ass. I mean really, at what age will she be before I no longer have to worry about her grabbing me? Stephanie looked apologetic so I shrugged it off. The things I'd do for that woman.

At the curb I held the door open for Steph to climb in and I watched her legs hoping for another glance of the holster. She didn't disappoint. If anything I could have sworn she pulled her dress up a little higher, just to give me a peek.

I climbed in and made the drive back to Haywood in record time. We didn't say a word as though talking would some how break our fragile self control. Thankfully when we arrived, the garage was empty and we climbed into the elevator continuing our self imposed silence. Once the doors shut, our eyes met and that was all it took. I don't know who took the first step, but I'm fairly certain that I initiated taking her into my arms. From there our lips locked and we didn't separate until the elevator dinged that we'd arrived on the fourth floor.

It was a mad dash to get to her apartment. I know we made it to her door clothed, but by the time we stepped into her foyer her dress was unzipped and off one shoulder and my shirt was completely missing. I needed to remember to go see Hector tomorrow and convince him to delete the tape of whatever we did in the hall. Shit, if Lester saw that he'd e-mail it to everyone, and keep a copy for himself.

While working our way to the bedroom I got out of my boots and Steph's dress and shoes disappeared. I got rid of my weapons and began to work out of my pants, but when I saw Steph reach down to remove the holster I grabbed her hand and shook my head no. I popped the magazine out of the Sig and then put it back in the holder. It was a safe gun, but with Steph's luck I wouldn't put it past someone getting shot and there was no way I was explaining why we had sex with a loaded gun strapped between us to Bobby.

Her face was sporting a mischievous grin as though she fully understood exactly what kind of affect her gun had on me all night. I decided to take my time and show her not only how sexy I thought it was but teach her a lesson about teasing me. Of course this kind of lesson had the distinct possibility of backfiring on me. Oh God, how would I deal with the thought that she might start carrying all the time now, just to turn me on?

A few hours later we collapsed, breathing heavy, exhausted, but smiling. She made her way over to me and took her place on my side. I waited for us both to catch our breath, but before she went to sleep I asked, "How are you doing?"

"I don't think I could be any better without passing out," She responded with a satisfied sounding tease.

"That's not what I meant," Although I did like her answer. "I wondered how you were doing about what happened this morning."

"Oh that," She said as though I were asking her about a story on yesterday's news. "It's passed my mind on and off through the day, but I've been kept pretty distracted," She responded, running her fingers across my chest.

"Are you okay with what happened?" I tried to focus her attention.

"No, mainly I'm pissed off about what happened," She answered honestly, stopping the movement on my chest. Still, anger was a good step for Steph. She did anger well so I figured it was a natural way for her to deal with it.

Then she added, "I can't believe that bitch was going to kill you. I should probably feel worse about taking her life but when I remember that she was pointing her gun at you, my remorse goes out the window and I'm glad I was able to pull the trigger before you did."

"Why are you glad you beat me to it?" I asked.

"Because you guys are always coming to my rescue putting yourselves in danger for me and it was such a relief to be the one saving you this time." She explained.

"So you're really alright with this?" I pressed thinking she was taking this all too well.

"Well, I don't know that I'd say I'm alright. I don't like the idea of taking someone's life. But, for some reason doing it to defend someone I love feels entirely different than doing it to save my own life. If her gun had been pointed at me I'd feel guilty for choosing my life over hers as though I were saying I was somehow more worthy of life than Maria. But since I did it to save you I don't have that issue because I know how much you deserve to live." I understood her explanation completely, even if I disagreed that somehow she believed me to be more worthy of life than her.

I'd have to help her with her self image. Luckily I believed we had our entire lives ahead of us for me to do just that. We talked for another hour before finally falling asleep clinging to each other.

Six months ago if someone had told me I would end up with Stephanie Plum loving me I'd have looked for the hidden camera. This beautiful woman chose me because I listened to her when no one else would. And even when she had no voice I stood up for what she wanted. I would always be the quiet one, but in the dark of the night with her in my arms I was confident that would be okay. She might talk more, but I knew no one would ever understand her silence better than I did. Despite my aversion to emotions, I had learned to listen to her heart and she had rewarded me by filling mine with love.


	18. Epilogue  Two Years Down the Road

_None of the characters are mine. JE gets all the credit (and unfortunately, the money too)._

_Jenn (perfectmanhattan), we have come to the end of another story together. Thank you so much for being my Beta, sounding board and friend. Are you ready for more?_

**Chapter 18 – Epilogue – Two Years Down the Road**

"Stop fidgeting," Steph warned me in her stern voice that told me if I didn't hold still she was going to get mad.

I hated wearing ties, especially bow ties, but it was a required piece of equipment for the penguin suit I had to put on today. Of course, when Steph saw me step out of the bedroom in it, she immediately striped it off me making us a little late in getting ready to leave.

I had ten minutes to get to the church which was nearly half an hour away. Of course, I wasn't in a big hurry. We were told to get there early for pictures and I didn't enjoy standing and smiling so I didn't mind the hold up. Plus I loved the glow Steph had right now as she was right up in my face working on my tie.

"There," She exclaimed patting my lapels indicating I must be ready. "Are you okay to get there on your own?"

"Yea, but you will be there right?" I asked, needing her reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

"Of course, I don't need to be there for the pictures, so Lucy and I will be at the church a few minutes before everything starts." She assured me.

"You better get there sooner than that. I need to see you before the circus begins." I told her hoping she understood how far out of my element this was and how much I needed her to calm me down.

She placed a soft kiss on my face and my nerves instantly disappeared. She held my hand and squeezed it, the simple gesture conveying her promise to find me before the service began.

"Be careful," I told her picking up my keys to head out. I turned back and winked at her before adding, "And don't forget your gun."

That wicked gleam came in her eye telling me I shouldn't have baited her. "Don't worry," Her sex kitten voice replied, "I'll have it close." The things that woman could do to me from across the room.

When I walked up the steps to the church Binkie was waiting on me pacing at the entrance. "Man, I thought you weren't coming. I was starting to come up with a contingency plan and a way to get a search party organized."

I put my hand on his shoulder to make him stop moving. "Relax man, I'm here, everything will be fine."

I couldn't believe how nervous my partner looked. We had worked together for the last two years. Ranger had given me the chance to ditch him for Erik when he returned to Trenton, but I realized I'd gotten attached to the kid and I trusted him in a way I had never experienced with a previous partner so I told Ranger I was happy with my young shadow.

I shouldn't have been surprised six months ago when we were on a stakeout and he started talking and stumbling over his words. For a brief minute I worried he was drunk, but realized that didn't fit with who I knew him to be so I waited and he eventually asked me if I would be his best man. Thus the penguin suit and the tie. If it had been anyone else I would have refused, but I had grown to see Binkie as a brother of sorts and I was honored that he asked so I accepted. Looking at the size of the church though, had me wondering if that was a mistake.

"How did you do this?" Binkie asked me in all seriousness. "I feel like I'm about to get sick, but I know this is what I want."

I laughed a little hoping I didn't offend him. "Well, I was marrying Stephanie, which made it easy and we went to a justice of the peace so there was no dog and pony show. There is no way I could have stood up and talked in front of three hundred people." Shit, I wasn't sure I even knew three hundred people.

"Alyssa always wanted a big wedding, and since I'm only going to do this once, I wanted her to have what she wanted. Of course Vegas is looking better every minute." He confessed as we walked in the church.

"Just keep thinking honeymoon and you'll be through this in no time." I advised him.

Twenty minutes before the service began I was standing at the door walking people to their seats and generally checking out everyone who entered the church looking for weapons and threats. Some habits die hard. I returned to my perch at the top of the steps when I saw a vision in blue coming toward me smiling. She had ridden with Bobby and Lester so we could go home together and watching her approach took my breath away.

Stephanie had on a flowing light blue dress that scooped down in the front showing off her swollen breasts. She was still nursing Lucy so her chest was evident of that fact. The dress dipped in at the waist showing her beautiful figure which she regained by her first check up after the baby was born. The bottom of the dress fell below her knee giving her a look of pure elegance. I was so proud as the other groomsmen elbowed each other to look at the hot chick coming up the steps. One of Alyssa's brothers was bold enough to approach her and ask if he could help her to a seat.

She smiled graciously before declining his assistance and continuing her walk to me. Stopping right in front of me she ran her finger down my jaw relaxing me with her familiar gesture. She looked in my eyes and I knew she liked the tux look telling me I needed to find a way to wear one for her again soon. We stood there looking at each other for a few minutes without talking.

Alyssa's brother came over and interrupted our moment by saying, "You'll have to forgive the best man. He doesn't talk much and doesn't know how to treat a lady." I was seriously concerned about the gene pool of Binkie's wife if her brother didn't realize this was my woman. Of course I hadn't said anything to let them know I was married. I figured the ring was enough. I decided I didn't owe him an explanation but I could see a playful grin on Steph's face indicating she would like to have a little fun at his expense.

I put my arms around her letting one settle at her waist and I bent her backward, dipping her dramatically before placing my lips on hers for a tender loving kiss. When I stood her back up she wasn't entirely steady on her feet; a fact that I enjoyed immensely. I noticed the other groomsmen were nowhere to be found either which suited me just fine.

"Where is she?" I asked holding her arms until I felt Steph was okay to walk.

"Ella has her. She'll bring her to the reception so that the music and noise will cover up any fussing she may do." Steph explained the plan for our daughter while we were at the service. I walked her to a reserved pew where Binkie wanted her to sit. She wasn't in the wedding, but Binkie considered her part of his family and wanted her at the front for support.

Forty-five minutes later I was at the back of the church waiting for Steph to exit so we could go to the reception together. I was relieved to have that ordeal over with and wanted to relax and dance with my wife. After enduring the pressure of standing in front of all those people trying to not trip or drop the rings I remembered why we went with a simple service. I asked her to marry me on Sunday night, and the following Friday we were in front of a judge. It couldn't have been simpler or more perfect for us. Still, as soon as the priest told him he could kiss his bride Binkie seemed to relax and the look on his face told me he was pretty happy with how this had turned out for him too.

I would miss him beside me over the next two weeks while they were in Jamaica for their honeymoon. I promised I wouldn't break in a new partner while he was gone if he would promise not to tell me any details of their time away. It seemed like a fair trade to me. Of course I'd be working with Hal while Binkie was gone and he talked less than I did. I wondered if I'd miss the conversation in the car. Hell, even if I did miss his chatter I'd never admit it.

When we got to the reception, it was in full swing. We had waited outside for Ella to arrive with our daughter, Lucy. She was only three months old, but Steph had put her in a little blue dress almost the same color as hers. I took the carrier from Ella's arm and brought her into the noisy room. She startled as soon as the music from the speakers hit her ears and woke up instantly. Her piercing blue eyes searched the room first, but her tears were held at bay when she saw us both there.

We were so lucky with our little girl. She was a good baby according to what we'd been told. She cried like all babies did, but never unnecessarily so. She seemed to wait until she had checked things out first before just screaming when she was scared. Her eyes were so bright and always looking around taking in the world. I considered her to be smarter than the average twelve week old, but Steph was convinced I was just biased. From the moment I saw her in the delivery room I was wrapped around that little girl's finger.

I unbuckled her and held her in my arms offering a layer of protection from all the new sights and sounds. She settled in comfortably, recognizing me and knowing her Daddy would keep her safe. I put an arm around Steph's waist and we walked over to Binkie and Alyssa who were greeting their guests.

"You brought my favorite girl," Binkie said getting an indulgent smile from his bride. He made no attempt to take her from me knowing I didn't like passing her around. I missed her when I was working so when I had a chance to hold her I didn't like letting go. "I thought she should see her Uncle one more time before he left for a while." I told him acknowledging the fact that Binkie was as hooked on this baby as I was.

Never once had he picked on me for my attachment. Of course, he didn't have much room to do so as I'd caught him holding her at the hospital talking baby-talk to her making a complete fool of himself right in front of me. I couldn't wait to see him with his own kids. I knew he'd be a good dad and then he would understand why it was so hard to let them go when you knew you were keeping them safe.

I'd been in security in one form or another for years now, but until I had a wife, and then a daughter, I had no idea how safety conscious I could be. When we discovered Steph was pregnant, it was a happy surprise. We had talked about kids and we both wanted them, but we hadn't planned out a timeline yet. I guess this was God's way of planning it for us. We knew we couldn't continue living in our apartment at Haywood and the thought of allowing Stephanie to sleep somewhere outside the security of those walls was beginning to give me chest pains.

After I'd lost enough sleep over it, I went to see Ranger. I told him why we needed to move out and then I explained my fears about the possibility of finding a place I thought would be secure enough for my wife and our child. Of course he understood and asked me to give him a couple of days to work on it for me. True to his word he asked me to take a ride with him two days later and he pulled into a gated community ten minutes from the office and twenty minutes from the Burg. He swiped a card to get into the main entrance. A mile later he turned off onto a side street which required a key code. Finally he approached a gate that needed a thumb scan and a code. When we finally pulled up to a house it was a nice brick, three story home with a big yard and cameras and lights visibly detailing the level of monitored security available.

He handed me a key and gave me time to walk through. The house itself was perfect, and I knew Stephanie would love it too. The master suit was huge and the closet would probably hold all her clothes, at least I hoped it would. Next to that room was a smaller bedroom that I thought would make a perfect nursery. Convinced that this was a great place to live I went back to the porch and sat in a rocking chair next to my boss. I handed the key back to him and asked, "How did you find this place?"

"I've owned it for a few years," He explained. "I got it because it met my security requirements and thought it would make a nice place for Julie to visit when she came to see me. When I see her, it's almost always in Miami and since I don't have any other family, it's a waste to hold onto it. The requirements of my life aren't what I thought they would be when I bought this place." He seemed resigned, but sad as he admitted that.

Then he went on to explain how he would be spending more time in Miami now that Julie was getting older and dating, so he was going to sell the house anyway. If we were interested he'd sell it to us for what he paid for it, which was a great deal. "I always thought Steph would be happy here," he admitted, telling me he got this house planning for a future with the woman that was now my wife.

That admission should have bothered me, but it didn't. Ranger and I had a few too many drinks after a FUBAR'd mission eighteen months ago and he admitted that he loved Steph more than any other woman, but he never would have married her. He said that he needed her close to him because she inspired him to be a better man, and he felt the need to protect her, but he could never have allowed her completely into his world. He loved her too much to pollute her with the filth of his experience. I never told her what he said because I knew how pissed off it would have made her to think he took her options away from her. She hated it when people presumed to know what was best for her. Besides, I was selfishly glad he never gave her the choice.

We moved in and just as I thought, Steph loved the house, turning it into a home almost immediately. Lucy was still too young to think about adding to our family, but I knew in the back of my mind there were still three empty bedrooms and I wouldn't mind filling them all.

Steph put her hand on my arm bringing me from my thoughts back to the reality. "I want a chance to dance with you. Is there anyway you'll let one of the guys hold her?" She asked hopefully.

I looked up and saw all the usual suspects. Steph was constantly putting her in their arms trying to socialize her and give the guys a chance to get in touch with their inner soft side. I cringed every time she did it, worried they wouldn't be prepared when she moved or cried, but to date no one had dropped her.

Sitting at the back of a table next to Ella was Ranger. He was scanning the room just as I had done before the wedding cataloguing guests and looking for possible problems. I nodded to Steph and walked over to our boss. "Got a second?" I asked when his eyes met mine. He nodded and I gently transferred my daughter to the only other set of masculine arms I thought were capable of caring for her.

From the moment Lucy was born, Ranger was there. He was in the background most of the time, but when he held her his eyes came alive. The fact that she was the spitting image of her mother wasn't lost on him and he appreciated Lucy's quiet approach to life and attentive gaze. Those were the only two traits she seemed to have gotten from me. Of course, I knew Ranger had raised a daughter too so I figured he was capable of handling her for the four minutes I was dancing with my wife. The fact that Ella was next to him was an added bonus because she was the only babysitter outside Steph's parents that ever watched her for us.

I walked away willing myself not to look back and check on Lucy, but when Steph caught my eye she was laughing and I knew my tough calm exterior was completely blown. She never said a word, but when I pulled her to my chest I could still feel her laughing against me.

As always happened when we were this close, I tuned out the rest of the world. While we swayed to the music I enjoyed the feel of my wife in my arms. I looked over her head and saw Binkie dancing with his wife and our eyes met. I nodded at him hoping he understood it was my way of saying congratulations. When he looked down at Alyssa I saw his expression soften and I understood exactly how he felt. The love of a woman, the right woman, had that effect on a man. He would be alright.

The song ended and the next one was much faster, not my normal thing unless I had a few drinks in me so I was relieved when Steph took my hand and led me to the cake. I glanced back and saw Ranger had Lucy up on his shoulder and was whispering in her ear. She'd never know what he was saying; mainly because it was most likely in Spanish, but I had a feeling it was important all the same. True to her nature she appeared to be listening to every word.

I smiled looking back at my wife who was currently moaning her way through my piece of wedding cake after finishing her own. "What?" She asked when she noticed my expression. "I'm nursing; I'm allowed to have extra calories." It was a weak defense and she knew it, but she also knew I wouldn't stop her from finishing my dessert.

We stayed until the reception began to wind down and when the bride and groom finished with the traditional bouquet and garter tosses, we began packing up to leave. Ranger was still holding Lucy because she had fallen asleep on his shoulder and the death glare he shot at me when I offered to take her back told me that wasn't an option. He carried her to the truck for us and buckled her back into her carrier showing off his master baby skills by accomplishing it without messing up her dress or waking her up. I wasn't smooth enough to do that and his expression when he stood up told me he knew it. Smug Bastard.

On the ride home Steph began to drift off to sleep too. I allowed a sigh to escape at the thought of my girls resting and quiet. I took a lot of ribbing when we found out we were having a girl. The guys said I was doomed to be surrounded by hormonal women for the rest of life. It's true I still found them a mystery, and would gladly give my collection of guns for a way to understand these mysterious creatures, but I couldn't imagine life without them. Besides I had enough testosterone to balance the house for now.

I knew I'd be in trouble when Lucy began to date and Steph had already told me she would watch me like a hawk to be sure I didn't embarrass our daughter. As if putting me on notice now would keep me from running background checks or getting the guys to tail her when she was on a date. I had at least twenty or twenty five years to prepare for her dating if I had my way. I wonder if she would consider a convent as a career choice. Maybe I could talk Steph into going to mass Sunday. I smiled imagining how well that would go over.

No matter what the future held, I knew it would hold us together. Steph understood me like no one ever had and she loved me anyway. The truth was I'd learned how to live because of her. She got me to listen to my own heart by paying such close attention to hers. Now I understood what it was like to have a friend that was closer than a brother, and a wife who was the other part of myself. The adventure of raising a daughter was another chance for Stephanie to teach me how to care for someone else. Watching my heart walk around outside my body was hard, but when Steph held my hand I knew we could do it together.


End file.
